Someone New
by LemonStar
Summary: ..Daryl/Beth.. AU to episode 3x04 "Killer Within". "Have you done this before?" She then questions Beth and Beth remembers the way the woman had questioned her daddy back at the farm, when Carl needed that surgery. "Helped deliver a baby in a prison boiler room? First time. You?" Beth does her best to make a joke.
1. Boiler Room Birth

**This has been in my head for a while and it has taken me forever to get out and I'm so glad I was finally able to finish it!**

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…

"I have to push."

Beth's mind is completely fogged over with fear and worry – fear because that alarm is still going off from somewhere in the prison and worry because she has absolutely no idea where the rest of her family is – but somehow, through all of that, she hears Lori's panted words.

"NO!" Beth all, but shouts at the woman.

Lori is gripping a pipe on the wall, obviously in excruciating pain, trying to stay on her feet.

"No, Lori," Beth says again in – what she hopes – a calmer tone. "You can't push yet. I have… I have to check and see how dilated you are."

Lori turns her head to look at her. She is sweaty and her skin has taken on a grey hue that frightens Beth. Beth can just imagine what the woman sees when she looks at her. Beth knows it's how everyone in their family looks at her. She's just a kid. Carl, younger than her, has better aim than her and can contribute at least _something_ to the group. Beth sings songs when she thinks they need to hear them and what does that really do or how does that really help any of them?

Beth doesn't doubt that right now, Lori is wishing absolutely anyone else in the group was with her in this boiler room right now with her other than Beth.

"Please, Lori. I need to check," Beth says in a soft voice, but the plea in it strong. She seems to know the instant Lori agrees because she suddenly sags heavily against the pipe she's clutching to. "Carl!" Beth calls to the boy who's standing at the locked door, as if he's making sure that it stays locked. "I need your help."

Together, Beth and Carl help Lori lower herself onto the floor and Beth sends Carl to look around the room for anything. Towels, rags. _Anything_. While he's off doing that, working together, Beth and Lori get her boots, jeans and underwear off, soaked with sweat and something else. Her water has definitely broken.

Beth's hands are shaking and she does her best to shake them out. "Do you want to leave your socks on?" She asks before she has Lori open her thighs.

"Does it matter?" Lori asks with a tired laugh. "Have you done this before?" She then questions Beth and she remembers the way the woman had questioned her daddy back at the farm, when Carl needed that surgery.

"Helped deliver a baby in a prison boiler room? First time. You?" Beth does her best to make a joke and it works because Lori lets out another laugh that is quickly cut off with a groan of pain.

"There's a sink in the corner," Carl says, breathless from hurrying through his task. "And here." He hands her every towel he could find and Beth flashes him a smile before taking the towels from him and setting two aside, she lays one out on the floor at Lori's opening.

"Carl, sit at your mom's head and distract her," Beth orders next. "Lori, _don't_ push. I mean it. I have to wash my hands and then we'll see how far along you are and we'll… we'll go from there," she finishes lamely.

Carl seems to know that Beth is in charge and thankfully, he doesn't give that argument. He does as she says and kneels down next to Lori's head and he whispers something.

"I'm okay," Lori whispers back, doing her best to smile up at him.

Carl has tried so hard to be a man over the past few months, but now, he looks like the child he is and even though he is also trying so hard to hide it, Beth can see how scared he is.

Beth hurries to her feet and then within seconds, has found the sink in the corner. Her heart is crashing against her ribcage and the alarm – still baring – is echoing in her ears and pounding her head. She prays to God that there is running water though why would there be? She had woken up early a few mornings before and the ground had been soft and the grass had been a lush green. There is a creek nearby. Maybe…

Please, God, maybe…

She closes her eyes and sags with relief once she turns one of the handles and water pours out. There is a bar of soap on the sink's ledge and Beth quickly scrubs her hands and her arms up to her elbows roughly, washing them until her skin is pink, nearly red.

She has brought the final towel with her and she runs it under the water until it's soaked through.

She can do this. She has absolutely no idea _how_ she is going to do this. She has absolutely no equipment, but women used to give birth in caves without equipment. She, Lori and Carl are in a prison boiler room right now; their very own cave. They can _all_ do this.

She's just turned seventeen two days ago. She hadn't told anyone and daddy and Maggie had forgotten – and with good reason. No one kept track of days anymore and with her daddy's leg… there have been far more important things than Beth seeing another year.

The point is though, she's seventeen and she's not a little girl anymore and she needs to prove herself. She had hoped for something perhaps a little bit easier than delivering Lori's baby, but what's easy anymore?

Hurrying back to Lori and Carl, Lori is now gripping Carl's hand as her eyes clench shut.

"Start counting," Beth tells Carl. "We need to know how far apart the contractions are." She kneels down on the other side of Lori and begins wiping at her sweat-soaked face with the wet towel. Lori seems to sigh the instant it hits her skin.

The alarm is still blaring and Beth tries to hum to counter it, but it's too loud and constant.

"Three minutes. I think," Carl finally says. "I'll do that." He takes the towel from Beth and Beth moves to kneel between Lori's legs, gently pushing the knees apart.

"It's fast. Five minutes or less is fast," Beth tells all of them, including herself.

"How do you know that?" Lori asks, panting, trying not to scream out.

"My daddy is a vet and when Maggie went off to college and Shawn was helping Otis with the farm, I was the one, helping in his office."

"So what am I? A dog or a horse?" Lori tries to joke.

"I'm thinking of you as a horse, to be honest," Beth replies. "There's only one foal in there and not a litter of puppies."

"What if it's twins?" Carl asks with wide eyes.

"Hush," Lori immediately responds to that, lifting a hand to her son's mouth as if to quiet that thought.

Beth completely agrees with Lori. They need to squash that idea even being put out in the universe.

Beth has seen a birthing video once. Jimmy had come from a large family and when his mom had been pregnant with their seventh – and last – child, Mrs. Campbell had said that she had never gone to one of those classes that women in movies and on television are always going to. Jimmy and Beth had just started dating at that time and Mr. and Mrs. Campbell took the young couple with them. Beth thinks that their son's new relationship is the only relationship they wanted to go to the childbirth class in the first place.

"Education," Mrs. Campbell had said.

"They'll never want to have sex after this," Mr. Campbell had murmured to his wife and hadn't known that Beth had been able to overhear him.

Highly graphic and disturbing would be how Beth would describe it, but Mr. Campbell had been absolutely right. Jimmy hadn't tried to touch Beth for a week after seeing _that_ video and Beth hadn't wanted him to.

Beth peers between Lori's thighs. The baby isn't crowning yet and the contractions still seem to be three minutes apart. The alarm is still blaring and Beth doesn't even have a clean knife to cut the baby's umbilical cord when it comes. Right now, the only thing she has is the pounding of her heart and the determination that she is going to get all _four_ through this because she has no other choice. Her daddy or Carol or Maggie isn't here. All Lori has is her and Carl and there's nothing that any of them can do about that.

"Do you think dad's okay?" Carl asks his mom.

"Of course, he is," Lori answers and gives him a tight smile and Beth wonders how much of that is from the pain she's currently experiencing from the labor or another kind of pain. "Daryl's with him."

Carl nods, seems to be satisfied with that, and Beth silently agrees.

She suddenly wishes that Daryl was in the boiler room with them because even if he's clueless as to how to deliver a baby, just having him here would make all of them feel better. That's just what Daryl does. He's quiet, but he's strong; the strongest of all of them and whenever he's near, the entire family just feels that much safer. Beth admits to having developed the habit of watching the man over the past few months as their group moves from one place to another.

She doesn't know anything about him except the very bare basics. When he had showed up at the farm, the very first time Beth saw him, she had been frightened by him and the way he paced and fumed, about to snap under the weight of his fury at any moment. Every day, he had just been so _angry_ , but then, slowly, he's changed since the farm. Beth knows they all have. He's quieter. Calmer. And Rick and him oftentimes have conversations now between the two of them, talking back and forth in whispers, before Rick tells the rest of them what they have decided their next move will be.

He's also started talking to the others. Daryl now talks with everyone in their group. Except for her. He's never exchanged a single word with her before and Beth tries to not let that bother her, even as she watches him talk with the others. She knows why he doesn't talk to her. He more than likely sees it as useless. There's no reason to talk to Beth since Beth brings nothing to the group; just another person to feed and keep alive.

Still though, she finds it almost odd how she would feel better if he was here.

She's torn from her thoughts when another contraction rips through Lori, the woman grinding her teeth together to keep from screaming out and she's holding both of Carl's hands so tightly, her knuckles turn white and Carl does his best to not wince.

"They're getting closer," Beth says. "Lori, I'm going to check… inside. I washed my hands and I'm going to feel for the baby."

She doesn't know if that's right. It _sounds_ right though.

"With Carl, I had to have a C-section," Lori begins to say, but Beth is already shaking her head.

"No. I'm not going to do that. You won't survive that and I… no," she says firmly. "Let me try it this way."

Lori looks at her and Beth wouldn't be surprised if Lori doesn't except herself to get out of this alive. But Beth is prepared to do anything to ensure that four of them leave this boiler room, alive, today.

It's best if she doesn't actually think and dwell into what she's doing; slowly inserting her hands into Lori. Inside her mind, she doesn't stop praying up to God to help her.

"Lori, can you push for-" Beth begins to say and she doesn't even get to finish her sentence before Lori is doing just that.

This time, she can't contain her scream and Carl clutches her hand tightly with one of his own while wiping her face with the damp towel with his other.

"Breathe," Beth says once Lori has pushed as hard as she can.

The woman's face still looks ashen to her, but her cheeks are flushed now as well. Beth counts to sixty in her head and think of exhausting it was to help one of the horses on the farm deliver their foals and how intense the whole process was – for both the horse and her daddy, Otis and herself. All were sweaty and covered in blood and other fluids by the end of it all. She wonders if she'll have to dump a bucket of water onto Lori's baby as she had to more than one foal once they were out in the world.

Beth had helped deliver horses and she can deliver this baby. There's no reason why she won't be able to. She's not her daddy or Maggie or Carol, but still. She can do this. She _will_ do this.

"Push!" Beth orders and again, Lori screams as she pushes.

None of them even notice that the alarm has stopped blaring now.

"The baby's coming. I can feel it," Beth says, feeling out of breath herself as she can feel the slippery skin of the baby inside of Lori against her hands.

"I have to push, Beth," Lori pants.

Beth nods. "Push. Almost there!" She then sees the top of the baby's head beginning to crown. "Carl, take off your shirt," she orders him as her fingers feel for the umbilical cord.

She releases a breath. She had been scared that the cord would be wrapped around the baby's neck, but God must really be in this boiler room with all of them right now. The baby's coming. They're all doing this.

"Here," Carl tosses his plaid shirt over her shoulder and then goes back to letting his mom grip his hands.

"One more push, Lori!" Beth says and Lori screams one more time as she pushes with all of her might.

Beth gently holds onto the baby, helping Lori along and pulling the baby out. Lori collapses onto her back, panting as heavily as a person can, and Carl wipes at her face again with the towel as he watches Beth, anxiously. Beth takes her knife – wishing, again, that it was a clean knife – and swiftly cuts the cord. She turns the baby gingerly over in her arms and begins patting and rubbing the baby's back, clearing her air passages.

Seconds later, the boiler room is filled with the cries of the newborn baby and Lori begins crying, struggling to sit up enough to see her new baby.

"It's a girl," Beth says, tears in her own eyes. "Carl," she addresses the boy, who's staring at his new sister with wide-eyed amazement. "Take that towel and go soak it again. I'll want to clean her off."

Carl snaps to and with the towel, he runs back to the sink. Beth wraps the bloody mess of a baby in Carl's flannel shirt and crying openly now, but smiling, she gingerly passes the baby into Lori's waiting arms. The baby is still crying, her day just as trying as all of theirs, and Lori cries along with her, holding her close.

"She seems healthy," Beth notes as she listens to the baby's loud cries.

"She's perfect," Lori says, staring at her baby daughter with complete amazement. " _You're_ perfect, Beth," she then says, looking back to her, tears of absolute gratitude shining in her eyes.

Beth promptly blushes, but she shakes her head. She's never had anyone look at her like Lori's looking at her right now. "I just did what any of us would have done."

Carl returns, the towel soaked and dripping wet.

"Thank you," Beth says to him. "Can you help your mom sit up a bit? I want to clean the baby and then Lori, I'll clean you a bit, too."

Beth helps Carl and together, they get Lori sitting up enough against the wall. Beth wishes they had a pillow for her to lean back again. She wishes they had a hospital room, too, but she will continue to work with what they have.

"I'm going to clean her and then you can try feeding her," Beth suggests and Lori nods.

She kisses her daughter on the forehead despite the blood before passing her back to Beth so Beth can begin wiping her down with the towel.

"What are we going to name her?" Carl asks.

"I…" Lori begins to say, but then trails off, watching Beth and the baby. "What's your middle name, Beth?"

Beth's eyes fly to her, widening. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Lori is asking her that.

"You don't have to do that, Lori," Beth begins to say, shaking her head.

"What's your middle name?" Lori just asks again.

Beth looks down to the baby. She has stopped crying and is a bit more clean now. She agrees with Lori. She seems absolutely perfect; being born in this world after surviving through a pregnancy with absolutely nothing to make it easier, that's a miracle in itself.

"Anne. After my mom," she answers quietly.

Lori looks to Carl and Carl smiles at his mom, reading her mind. Lori then looks to Beth, smiling as well.

"Anne," Lori repeats and Beth can't help herself from kissing baby Anne on the forehead before passing her back into Lori's arms.

All three turn their heads when they hear the heavy metal door screaming open on its rusty hinges.

"Dad!" Carl exclaims.

"Carl!" Rick runs into the room with Daryl, followed by Maggie.

They all stop right in their tracks though when they see Lori, holding her newborn baby.

"This is Anne," Carl beams at all of them and he looks like such a boy in that moment; a boy brimming with excitement at having a new sibling.

"Beth, you…" Maggie begins to say and Beth can hear the disbelief in her older sister's voice.

Beth understands it. She'd have a hard time believing it, too. After all, in their group, she's just Beth.

"I wouldn't be here without Beth," Lori tells the three new arrivals.

"You did most of the work," Beth replies, her cheeks still blushing at the praise and everyone looking at her.

Rick hasn't said a word. He's staring at the baby, unable to stare at anything else. He slowly comes forward and kneels down on the ground on the other side of his wife.

Beth takes her cue to stand up and leave the new family of four alone for a few minutes. She really needs to wash her hands anyway.

As she walks towards the sink in the corner, she feels someone's eyes on her and when she turns her head, she expects it to be Maggie, but instead, it's Daryl.

He's looking right at her; looking at her as if he's never seen her before. Beth looks at him, too, for a moment before she turns her head away, continuing onto the sink.

…

They've lost T-Dog and as soon as Beth finds out, tears flood her eyes.

 _"_ _Gotta keep those chicken legs of yours warm," the man always said during the frigid winter nights, always with that warm, infectious grin of his, and he always made sure that Beth had a blanket._

Glenn has already dug the grave and Beth will go to see it and say her prayers, but first, she really needs a shower and sleep. They've lost T-Dog, but have gained the two remaining prisoners, Oscar and Axel, and _everyone_ besides Lori and Carl are just staring at her with open amazement.

After washing herself of the blood and sweat in the prison shower room, she combs her hair back and pulls back into a loose braid.

"Knock, knock!" Maggie pushes open the door. "I've brought you clean clothes."

"Thank you," Beth says, grateful beyond words because the idea of tugging her dirty and sweaty clothes back on makes her want to grimace. "Is Lori and Anne okay?" She asks as she goes back behind the shower curtain to remove the towel wrapped around her body and tug on the clothes Maggie has brought her.

"Tired, but both are good. Better than good, daddy says. Thanks to you," Maggie smiles. "I don't think you realize how amazing it is what you did today, Bethy."

Beth doesn't say anything as she finishes getting dressed. Maggie has brought her a pair of underwear, another pair of socks, a plain grey tee-shirt that is labeled a "small" and a pair of faded blue sweatpants with D.O.C. – Department of Corrections – stenciled on the side of one leg in white. The sweatpants are so large, Beth has to fold the waistband over several times so they don't slip down.

She knows Lori and the baby both being alive and safe _is_ amazing, but is everyone amazed because of that or because Beth had been the one to keep Lori safe and ensure the baby arrived, alive? She just had done what everyone else in their group would have done.

At least now, maybe she won't be looked at as just another mouth to feed. Maybe now, the others will look at her and know now that she's capable of doing more than just singing.

"I told Lori I was picturing her as a horse," Beth finally replies and Maggie lets out a laugh at that.

"How does everything fit? Axel and I found the closet where the prisoner clothes were kept," Maggie says.

Beth pushes back the curtain so Maggie can see and when Maggie does, she smiles.

"I need to wash my bra," Beth says and even though she barely has a chest to begin with, she folds her arms over her chest, subconscious about walking around without a bra on right now.

"I'll wash everything and get it back to you," Maggie promises. "Now. Food or sleep. Your choice."

"Sleep," Beth answers without hesitating.

"We'll make sure you get a big dinner when you wake up," Maggie says as she picks Beth's dirty clothes up and together, the two sisters leave the bathroom, heading back towards their cell block. "We have so many packs of Ramen noodles now, you won't even believe it."

…

Beth isn't sure how long she sleeps. To be honest, she doesn't even really lying down on the bed, but when she finally opens her eyes again, the cell she had cleaned out a couple days earlier is bathed in orange as the sun is beginning to set outside, and as she lies there, her still-tired brain taking a long moment to wake up, she can hear the soft cries of baby Anne and Lori's gentle hushes as she tries to quiet her again.

Beth smiles faintly to herself and rolls onto her side, burrowing herself beneath her scratchy blanket. Her stomach growls and she knows she needs to get up and eat something, but the truth is, she's quite content to just lay there for a bit longer.

A shadow falls over the orange light and Beth moves her eyes to the doorway. Daryl stands there, looking a bit awkward, and when he sees her eyes, open and looking at him, he clears his throat.

"Is everything okay?" Beth asks and begins to sit up.

Things must not be okay though if Daryl is here.

"Uh, yeah," Daryl answers with a single nod of his head. "I… there's vendin' machines in the guard's break room and I asked Maggie what your favorite is."

Beth gasps when he holds up a bottle of water in one hand and in the other hand, a pack of Reese's peanut butter cups. "Are those real?" She hears herself ask, as hushed as if she has just walked into church.

Daryl smirks a little at that and then takes a step into the cell – enough to place both items down onto the desk bolted to the wall. "No one deserves 'em more," he says in his rumbling voice and Beth wonders if she'll ever get used to the praise as she feels her cheeks warm.

But deep down, she knows it's just not because she is being complimented. It's because it's _Daryl_ doing the complimenting to her this time.

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth says and she lowers her eyes, feeling shy, because he's standing there, looking at her; once again, looking at her as if he's never seen her before.

Over the past few months, spending all winter together, she has begun to entertain ideas of Daryl Dixon being a handsome man. She's never been attracted to a man before – always boys appropriately aged – and if Beth was attracted to a man, she, honestly, couldn't imagine it to be a man like Daryl. Maybe someone a bit more clean cut… but Daryl with his muscles and that tattoo on his back she can catch glimpses of when his sleeveless shirt moves in a particular way and with that crossbow in his arms…

"We should all be the ones thankin' you," Daryl says quietly and she lifts her eyes again, seeing him standing back in the doorway, no longer looking at her, but rather down to the ground. "Don't know how it would be if Lori hadn' made it and that baby…" he clears his throat again. "You kicked ass today, Beth. You really did."

Beth feels a small smile bloom across her lips and Daryl lifts his eyes just long enough to see it and when he does, he matches it with his own small smile. Beth's cheeks feel as if they're on fire now and she looks down to her lap. She remembers that she's not wearing a bra and she knows that Daryl won't even notice, but still, Beth can't stop herself from slowly bringing her blanket up, wrapping it around herself.

"Dinner's jus' about ready, but you don't gotta worry. You can keep sleepin' and as soon as you're ready to eat, one of us will make you somethin' warm."

It occurs to Beth that she's never heard Daryl speak so much – not even to Rick or her daddy or Carol. And now he's here, talking to her. _Her_. Someone who hadn't even really existed to him before today.

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth says with all of the graciousness in the world and this time, she can see the faintest tint of pink spread across his cheeks.

He looks at her for another moment before turning and walking away. Beth suddenly wishes she had been able to ask him why he's never talked to her before today, but she remembers that she hadn't mattered before today and she's glad she is able to stop herself before she can hear Daryl tell her just that.

Beth hopes that as a new day comes to the prison tomorrow, she'll still matter.

Maybe Daryl will talk to her again tomorrow, too.

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review!**


	2. Mushroom Ramen Noodles

…

She thought she would get up as soon as Daryl left, but instead, Beth finds herself lying down again and promptly falling back asleep. If she's this tired, she can just imagine how exhausted Lori and Anne both feel.

They, after all, were the ones who had done all of the work.

When her eyes open again, she can see through the window that it's completely dark outside now and the cell block is quiet. She's still getting used to the quiet, to be honest. They've been in this prison for a week now and to finally have a safe place to lay their heads each night, all of them are still getting used to it; to not constantly sleep with one eye open, to not have at least two people on guard at all times, to not have to huddle together for warmth because they can't have the risk of a fire burning at night to attract both walkers and other people. Maybe that's why Beth is so exhausted. It's not just from delivering Lori's baby, but because she hasn't had a good and safe night's sleep in months.

She hears someone cough in their sleep – sounds like Glenn – and she can hear her daddy's snores from his cell next to hers. Beth lays there for another moment, listening to him and trying to decide if she's awake now or if she's going to close her eyes again.

It seems like she's awake now and going to stay that way.

She pushes the blanket aside and sits up, her stomach grumbling emptily as she does. She hasn't eaten since breakfast the morning before and she remembers the Reese's peanut butter cups and bottle of water that Daryl had dropped by earlier. They are still on the cell's desk along with her clothes, washed and folded.

Her bag is on the floor next to her bed and she picks it up, her eyes adjusted to the dark now, and she digs around inside for a moment before finding her other pair of clean socks. During the winter, as they scrounged for warmer clothes and any kind of food, Daryl had also made sure that everyone had more than enough socks. He wanted to make sure that everyone's feet stayed warm and dry because it helped the rest of their bodies stay warm.

Beth doesn't feel like tugging on her cowboy boots right now – they've been hurting her feet something fierce lately though she hasn't told anyone that – and instead, she tugs on her pair of socks so she's not walking around the prison floor in bare feet.

Standing up, she goes to the desk and smiles when she sees that Maggie has washed her bra as she had promised she would. There is no bed sheet or curtain hanging over the doorway – yet – for privacy, but it's dark and it seems like everyone is sleeping. Still, Beth takes off her tee-shirt and puts on her bra before tugging on the tee-shirt once again as quickly as she can, sighing with relief; not feeling quite as exposed as she had felt without it.

Maggie has washed her clothes and have also left her a few more pairs of sweatpants and tee-shirts. Beth smiles at the simple sight of them. Changes of clothes. It's been too long.

Her stomach grumbles again, but she stops herself from taking the Reese's to eat. She wants to save that until she has other, possibly more substantial, food in her stomach.

In her socks, her steps are silent on the concrete floor as she leaves her cell. Her eyes flutter up towards the perch at the top of the stairs where she knows Daryl has slept these past few days since getting themselves in here and cleaning it out. He had seemed to vehemently hate the idea of sleeping in a cell, but Beth hadn't thought more on it.

She's not surprised to see that Daryl isn't up there right now, but she doesn't begin to guess where he might be instead. He could be anywhere – walking the fences outside, patrolling and cleaning out another hallway in the prison, finding more supplies. Beth has learned from the winter months, the family always running from one place to another that when they all collapsed, exhausted, at the end of each day, Daryl was still awake. She actually has no idea when he had slept; if he had slept at all. Daryl seems to need little sleep.

Beth walks through the open door, stepping into the cell block common room, but she stops abruptly when she sees that she's not the only one awake.

Rick is weaving in and out of the metal tables, Anne in his arms and he looking down to the baby with a smile. Beth begins to take steps backward, not wanting to interrupt, but even though she had been silent, Rick suddenly turns his head to see her there as if he heard her. Beth stops in place and Rick smiles.

"Beth," he breathes out her name as if he's seeing an actual angel.

"I got hungry," Beth explains to him as to why she's in there at this hour.

Rick just keeps smiling though. Beth is struck at how happy the man looks. She has known him for almost a year – he and the others having come to the farm in the middle of summer – and spring is upon them now and in all of these months, she has never seen the man like this. The smile across his face is easy and light now and it's a smile that makes Beth want to smile in return just from seeing it.

She may be quiet around the others, but that gives her the opportunity to really pay attention when no one else thinks about hiding themselves. But even if she hadn't been observant, it would be impossible to miss the tension between Rick and Lori Grimes that has steadily been growing thicker as Lori's belly grew. It had been difficult to hide or mask it from a group as close as theirs.

Beth isn't going to pretend she's any kind of expert on marriage, but maybe, baby Anne will be able to help mend at least some of the rift between her parents.

"I'm sure you did," Rick says. "I'm just giving Lori a little break," he then explains.

Beth smiles and walks to Rick. She smiles as she looks down to baby Anne. "She's perfect," she finds herself whispering as she looks down to the newborn, her eyes closed in Rick's arms, and Beth lifts a finger to lightly brush it over her tiny knuckles.

"I have no way of thanking you, Beth, for what you did," Rick tells her in a quiet voice and Beth lifts her head to find him looking at her.

She shakes her head. "You don't have to thank me, Rick. We're family. I just did what anyone else would have done if they were in there with Lori instead of me."

"I like to think we all could have done it and Lori and Anne would both be alive right now, but I know that that's not the truth," Rick says and shakes his head as he does. "What you did for my wife and Anne was amazing and is and I'm never going to let you think anything different," he vows.

Beth isn't sure what to say to that, to be honest; not sure if there's anything _to_ say.

Just yesterday, she was no one. Just Hershel's youngest daughter and Maggie's little sister and another mouth to feed and another body to keep alive. She had contributed as much as she could – which hadn't been much at all. She just isn't like Maggie or Carol, she knows that. She's young and useless – things no one has dared say, but Beth knows that they are thoughts they have probably all had at one time or another.

And now, everyone is looking at her as if she's amazing. The change is so sudden and jarring and Beth realizes how long it's been since she has felt anything close to feeling important because she also realizes that she's just not used to it anymore.

She just looks to Rick's eyes and stays silent and Rick stares at her, silent as well. After moment, he gives a nod.

"Let's get you something to eat," he says and heads over against one of the walls where Beth notices there are boxes in several stacks and she almost gasps at the sight. Rick chuckles as if he can read her mind. "Your dad is talking about finding some seeds and getting started on planting and with all of this food, I think we'll be okay for a while."

He looks to Beth with a smile and Beth has absolutely no problem with beaming back.

Not only was there plenty of food in the cafeteria, but Daryl had had Oscar and Axel show him where commissary was and that had given them even more food. Beth finds herself sitting at one of the tables, drinking a cup of water and eating a bowl of mushroom-flavored Ramen noodle soup. Maggie was right. Beth doesn't think she's ever seen so many packs of Ramen noodle soup before and with access to running water from the creek, able to boil it over one of their candles, Beth is able to enjoy a bowl of hot soup and it's wonderful.

Rick sits at the table with her as she eats, his eyes hardly ever leaving Anne. He seems to be in complete awe of her and it makes Beth smile faintly to herself as she eats and watches.

She suddenly finds herself thinking of Jimmy. Sweet Jimmy whom she had loved as much and as true as any sixteen-year-old girl could love their high school sweetheart. She remembers going out with him and they would park somewhere to lay in the back bed of his pickup truck; to make out and to talk.

Jimmy had had no plans of going to college. He was going to graduate from high school and then stay with his dad so he could help on the family farm. A lot of boys in their school did the exact same thing and to those who did go away to college, they usually just went to some local community college or off to University of Georgia. The girls, too, before they came back to their little town and got married and had kids and settled down into a life that was much a mirror of their parents and grandparents.

Jimmy had just thought that they would both be the same. He would stay and work the farm and Beth would go off to college, but then in four years, she would be back and they would get married. Beth hadn't known what she wanted. She had loved Jimmy, but would she still love him during their senior year and then during four years of college? Would she love him enough to come back home and marry him and start having babies with him?

Beth had always wanted to be a wife and a mother, but she had also always envisioned something more for herself. She loved the farm and she loved Georgia, but she also loved the idea of there being something so much more out there for her.

Going somewhere else and meeting someone else and living a life she never would be able to live if she came back home to their tiny town and married Jimmy.

She looks at Anne and she finds herself feeling a longing in her chest. She had always wanted to be a mother and even now, with the world ending and there being nothing left, Beth looks at the little baby and realizes that she still wants that for herself.

How unrealistic is that dream though? There's no one left and even if there was, Beth wants to fall in love. She wants a partner – like Maggie has found with Glenn. She wants to get married – as much as two people can nowadays – and she wants to have a baby. She's only seventeen and these dreams might be dreams of a child, but they're still her dreams and looking at Anne, Beth realizes how true they still are; even if there's almost no hope of any of them ever coming true.

She's almost finished with her soup when someone who walks just as silent as she did – with shoes on and not just socks – comes into the common room. Daryl. She's not surprised.

Daryl pauses in his steps when he sees Beth sitting at the table, eating, but then he looks to Rick sitting there as well and that seems to help him decide in coming forward. He carefully sets his crossbow on the table and then sits down in one of the other empty metal bench seats. Beth keeps her eyes down to her almost empty bowl. She'll finish up and head back to her cell even though she's not tired and can't image going back to sleep. But she also can't imagine that Rick and Daryl would have any type of conversation in front of her.

"'s quiet," Daryl reports to Rick.

Maybe she had been wrong.

"Couple of walkers down at the far fence, but I took care of 'em. Nothin' else."

Rick gives a single nod. "Tomorrow, I want Glenn, Maggie, Oscar and Axel to get themselves to the infirmary. I want Carol and Carl to stay here and look after Hershel and Lori and you and me are gonna head back out. Town isn't too far from here."

"We headin' on a run already?" Daryl asks and though his voice doesn't give it away, Beth glances up just in time to see the slight surprise in his eyes from the flickering candle in the middle of the table.

"Just to see if we can find anything useful for Anne here. Crib or a baby bouncer," Rick says.

"What the hell's that?" Daryl asks and Beth finds herself smiling.

"It's a seat you can put the baby in that bounces a little and it can calm them down," Beth answers before she can get herself to not to. "It also frees your arms so you can do something without constantly holding her."

Daryl looks at her and doesn't say anything and Beth's not sure why, but she feels her cheeks warm from his eyes on her. She lowers her eyes back to her bowl for another spoonful of soup.

"Huh," Daryl then grunts and Beth finds herself smiling faintly to herself again.

"Finding a couple of toys and diapers won't be a bad thing either. Cloth ones are fine, but disposable ones might be easier for the time being until we get the laundry room up and running," Rick continues. "What about you, Beth?" He asks suddenly and Beth's head flies up at being addressed. "Is there anything you want for your cell?" Rick asks.

Beth's head shake is immediately. "No, thank you," she smiles politely. "I'm alright."

Daryl snorts at that. "Everyone's already makin' their lists. Carl wants to find comic books somewhere and your sister is askin' for pillows that give her head support."

Beth finds herself smiling again at that, but she shakes her head again. "I mean it. I'm alright. I have a bed and a change of clothes and _Reese's_. Trust me. I'm alright."

She then thinks of her bag in her cell and the journal she had found two days earlier when she had been unpacking the other things. She _could_ use more pens, but she knows that finding more pens around here won't be hard. Up in the guard towards or she can tell Maggie to bring her back a pen from the infirmary tomorrow.

She also thinks of her cowboy boots and the way they've been rubbing her painfully later. Eventually, she'll need to put them back on or find another pair of shoes, but she can't ask Daryl and Rick to find her shoes. If Maggie was going on the run with them tomorrow, that'd be different. It's like when she asked Maggie to find some tampons or another pair of underwear. That's her _sister_. She can ask Maggie for personal things like that and yes, they're only shoes and they are an obvious necessity, but somehow, it feels too intimate for Beth to bring up to the two men at the table with her.

"Did you get enough?" Rick asks when she slurps down the last spoonful.

Beth nods and can't stop herself from licking her lips. She feels full and warm inside. It's such a pleasant feeling and that's another she has almost forgotten about feeling.

"Yes, and I have dessert in my cell waiting for me," she replies and can't help, but glance to Daryl as she says that. He's not looking at her and he doesn't move his head to do so.

Beth feels instantly stupid for saying that.

She doesn't even know what she wanted Daryl's reaction to that to be. Maybe a little smile like he sometimes gives Carol? But does she really expect Daryl to smile at her like he smiles at Carol though? Carol is actually a woman – much closer to Daryl's age than she will ever be. Right now, she's seventeen and even after helping with Anne's birth, she can't imagine Daryl ever looking at her as anything other than just a kid.

At least he's actually looking at you now though, Beth tells herself, which is much more than he has done for these past few months.

Daryl and Rick resume talks of their run tomorrow and Beth stands up, carrying her bowl and spoon to the plastic tub where other dirty dishes are sitting in, waiting to be washed tomorrow. Beth notes that Rick hadn't given her a task to do tomorrow so she'll set one for herself. Tomorrow, she'll wash everyone's dishes. It's not a big task, by any means, and it's certainly not an important one, but clean dishes for everyone matters to her so that's what she'll do.

She wonders why Rick hadn't given her anything to do like everyone else.

"Good night," she smiles at them both.

"Good night, Beth," Rick smiles at her.

Daryl doesn't say anything.

Beth can't help, but lean over and give Anne a kiss on her forehead. Then, with one more smile to Rick and one to Daryl even though he's not looking at her, Beth leaves the common room, going back into her cell. She's not tired, but she can't imagine herself staying out there with Rick and Daryl as they talk. She has no place out there. But she doesn't know what to do with herself now that her stomach is full and she's wide awake.

She lays back down on the bottom bunk and covers herself with the slightly scratchy blanket and listens to the peace and quiet around her. Maybe, tomorrow morning, she can ask Axel or Oscar if these are the only kind of blankets in the prison. She misses her floral goose-down comforter back at home. Also, maybe she can Axel or Oscar where the library is. Having a book right now would give her something to do and after months of going without it, she really has been missing reading.

But if these are the only blankets and there are no books to be read, Beth will still consider things alright because she's here, with her family, her stomach is warm with soup, and she's able to close her eyes without feeling her entire body on edge. What does she need more than these things she has right now?

Beth closes her eyes even if she can't imagine herself going back to sleep and she tries to think of something else she can do tomorrow after she washes the dishes.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to review! I've been missing Daryl x Beth a lot lately and I'm eager to explore an AU to S3. Thank you again!**


	3. Prison Color Schemes

…

There is a last-minute change in the plan the next morning as they all eat oatmeal from one of the industrial sized cans they had gotten from the cafeteria. Their stomachs are actually getting full during their mealtimes and they are all getting used to having food in their stomachs that doesn't immediately leave them growling in hunger an hour later.

Carl – since he's already gotten himself to the infirmary once before – will instead go with Glenn, Axel and Oscar. Carol will stay to look after both Hershel, Lori and baby Anne and Maggie will go with Rick and Daryl on their run. Rick still hasn't given Beth a task to do that day and Beth is almost too afraid to ask; afraid as to why Rick hadn't given her one without her needing to ask. Maybe he can't think of anything that needs to be done that she can actually do.

She stares down at her bowl in front of her, sitting in between her daddy and Glenn, and not saying anything as everyone talks around her. Lori is up and out in the common room with them, eating her own oatmeal and smiling as Carl practices holding his baby sister. Beth refuses her mind to dwell on how Carl is younger than her, but he's going to the infirmary that day. It's an important job and Rick hadn't even thought twice in bestowing such a task upon his _young_ son.

Apparently, helping deliver a baby safely isn't enough to remind everyone that she isn't a baby herself.

When breakfast is finished, everyone piles their bowls into the bin, adding to the dishes from dinner the night before, and Beth takes it upon herself to lift the bin, setting it down onto one of the tables.

"Are you going to be washing those?" Rick is the one to ask.

"Yes," Beth nods. "Since you cleared the way to the cafeteria, I was thinking of taking these to the kitchen because the sink is big enough there."

She would have to be blind to miss the look Rick and Hershel share with one another and her fingers curl around the ends of the bin so tightly, her knuckles turn white. She had read somewhere once that the only time your top jaw and bottom jaw should be touching is when you're eating and chewing. The rest of the time, the jaws should be relaxed so there is space between the top and bottom teeth.

Beth feels her teeth grinding together at the moment.

Maggie is the one to step forward. "Why don't you wait until I get back from the run? This is a lot of dishes and I can help," she offers.

"You don't think I can wash dishes without a babysitter?" Beth can't hold the question in any longer.

"It's not like that, Bethy," Hershel says gently. "It's a big place and we still haven't gotten most of it cleared. Anything could happen to _anyone_ if they went off on their own."

"I can go with her," Axel speaks up, having been overhearing.

"No," Daryl is the one to answer him, his voice clipped and short.

Beth looks to Daryl at the sound of him entering the conversation, but he's not looking at her; instead, his eyes are focused on Axel and his own jaw seems to be clenched together right now, too.

"Please, Beth," Maggie says and Beth moves her eyes to look to her sister. "Wait until I get back?"

Beth waits a beat before sighing heavily. "Fine," she agrees and doesn't look at any of them.

They already clearly think she's a baby. Further acting and pouting like one won't help her cause and show them that she's seventeen and she's just as capable as any of them; if they would just give her a chance.

Now that that matter seems settled, the others begin talking again about their jobs for the day and Beth is left, still trying to think of something to do that will help, too. She can help with daddy and Lori and baby Anne and she's more than happy to help, but there has to be something else she is able to do; something that has to be seen to in the common room and cell block since those are the only areas she is allowed to go.

"Maggie," Beth gently takes her sister's arm as the others begin walking off, stopping her. "When you're out with Rick and Daryl, could you be on the lookout for some paint?"

"Paint?" Maggie lifts an eyebrow at that, but then, as if she can read her sister's mind, she eases into a smile. She nods. "Any particular color? And how many gallons?"

"However many you're able to bring back," Beth answers and as she does, she looks at the cold, drab grey walls of the common room and think of the same walls everyone has in their cells. "And something bright."

"You got it," Maggie promises, her smile growing bigger, and Beth moves her eyes back to her, smiling too.

…

Daryl doesn't say anything as Maggie tells him and Rick what to be on the lookout in addition to things for the baby and more clothes and food for everyone. They take the pickup truck, hoping that it will be a good run and they'll need all of the room in the back bed for their haul. Rick is driving, Maggie is in the middle and Daryl is against the other door, looking out the window. It doesn't seem like he's paying attention to the other two, but he listens to every word that Maggie is saying and though he's not looking, Daryl can hear Rick smiling.

"That's not a bad idea at all," Rick comments. "Maybe we can find pink and paint a cell for Anne with pink."

"Beth's always been good at this kind of thing," Maggie says. "Even after Annette and Shawn got sick… Beth still insisted on dusting and keeping things clean and she would bring fresh flowers into the house to keep on the tables. Even with everything, Beth said that keeping our home feeling like one was important."

Daryl doesn't say anything and keeps his eyes out the window.

Of what he knows of Beth – which is damn near nothing at all – that makes sense; her wanting to make a place a home. And he's not going to say one thing or another about Beth wanting paint, but he's with Rick. It's not a stupid idea. If they're going to be staying in the prison for a while, nothing wrong with their family making the cells something of their own. They deserve that after everything. Him, personally, he's fine keeping himself on the perch, but if he does move into a cell, he won't give two shits whether the walls stay grey or not. But he can understand how the others might care.

The little town outside of the prison is made up a few businesses and houses. Daryl imagines that almost everyone who lived here, if not working in one of these stores, had been working at the prison. Rick pulls the truck to a stop outside of the hardware store and the three get out, Daryl immediately pulling his crossbow up and being at the ready. A few walkers are down at the end of the main street and are already shuffling their way. They're a bit too far off still and Daryl's not going to waste a bolt on them. Not yet anyway.

The windows of the hardware are smashed in and Daryl can't imagine that anything of use is still in there, but that doesn't stop the three from approaching the store, doing their usual knocking on the wall for walkers. There's two shuffling down the aisles and Daryl fires a bolt into the head of one as Rick gets the other with his knife. When all is quiet again, the three look around. As Daryl expected, most of the shelves are empty except for odds and ends. A group – or a few – have definitely already been through here.

"I'm going in the back to see if there's paint," Maggie said and with that, she heads up the main aisle.

Rick looks to Daryl. "Anything," he tells him and Daryl gives a nod before Rick goes up one aisle and Daryl goes up another, keeping his eyes on the lookout.

A couple rolls of duct tape. Daryl grabs them and drops them into the basket he's grabbed.

"No shit," Daryl murmurs to himself, grabbing a lone spray can of Flex Seal and dropping it into the basket.

He moves slowly, making sure he doesn't miss anything. He wonders what the prison has in the maintenance closet and where the maintenance closet it. Rick was right when they first found the place. The prison is a goldmine; a small city by itself. Finding it and being able to clear out even one cell block has saved all of them.

His mind wanders to Hershel Greene's youngest daughter – whether he wants his mind to wander there or not; _young_ being the key word. Christ, she's young. He doubts she's even legal – not that he cares one way or another if she _is_ legal. It doesn't matter. Not just because things like that just aren't as important as fighting off dead things and keeping alive, but it doesn't matter to _him_. Why does he care how old she is? Why is he even thinking of her?

Daryl knows why. He doesn't like the idea of leaving her alone with two guys who have been locked up for God knows how long. She's young and she's pretty – he's not blind enough to _not_ see how pretty Hershel's youngest daughter is. And yes, Axel and Oscar helped them when that alarm was blaring and had then helped Glenn dig T-Dog's grave, but what else do any of them really know about the guys? And this morning, the way Axel had volunteered to help Beth with washing the dishes, it made the hairs on Daryl's arms stand on end.

He tells himself that the others in their family will look out for her. Hershel may only have on leg now and may be a God-fearing man, but Daryl imagines the man has no issue with beating one of those guys with his crutches if they get too fresh with his daughter. And Carol would probably slit one of their throats without thinking twice about it. And there's Glenn, Carl and Lori, too – all there looking out for Beth, so why isn't that enough to put Daryl at ease at the idea of her being left alone?

He's spent the past few winter months, looking out for the entire family. That's been his job and it's a job they've all trusted him with and Daryl takes it serious. Those people, here in the hardware store and at the prison, are his family and he'll be damned if he lets anything happen to them. It's taken him a long time to both realize and accept that, but it's true.

And Beth is part of that family.

Working his way up the aisle – grabbing a few more random odds and ends – Daryl makes his way to the back of the store where Maggie's in the paint section. Daryl's not surprised to see more than enough cans of paint still there. Who the hell would take paint when there's anything else _useful_ they can take instead?

Maggie hears him coming and she flashes him a smile. "Beth said bright and Rick said pink and I think I've gotten the colors that Beth would like. What else do we need, you think?"

"Rollers?" Daryl suggests dryly. "I ain't usin' my hands to paint those walls."

Maggie snorts at that and goes to get both brushes and rollers from the wall. "Should we get painting tape, too?" She asks him, but then, she grabs a roll anyway. She dumps those things into Daryl's basket and then picks up two of the cans. "What color do you want your cell to be?" She asks as Daryl picks up two of the cans, holding them in one hand, while picking his basket up with the other.

"Don't you and your sister think you're gettin' ahead of yourselves?" Daryl can't stop himself from asking.

Maggie looks at him as if she has no idea what he's talking and maybe she doesn't.

"Paintin' and fixin' the place up," Daryl sighs. "We don't even know if we're stayin'."

Now, Maggie is looking at him as if he's possibly sprouting another eye on his forehead.

"Of course we're staying, Daryl. Where else would we go? There's nowhere else to go," she tells him as if there's absolutely no other possible option than staying at the prison and maybe to Maggie, there _isn't_ any other option. Daryl would like to think the same thing, but he's also learned to never get his hopes up.

Rick is out at the pickup truck, loading up his own basket, and he takes the paint cans from Daryl, glancing to the colors on the lids as he does. He smiles a little. "You want to bring more back?" He asks Maggie.

"I think four is enough for now. Maybe, we'll come back and let others pick their own colors."

"Where now?" Daryl asks, swinging his crossbow back into his hands.

"Might as well try our hand there," Rick says, pointing to the Dollar General next door.

After they kill the few walkers inside, they find that the Dollar General is much the same as the hardware store. Someone has already been through here, but there's a few more things to take than in the hardware store. At least this place has a few baby things that haven't been taken yet. A cheap foldable crib and one of those bouncers Beth had explained to him and a couple stuffed animals and a pack pacifiers.

"So cute," Maggie says as she takes the stuffed duck from the shelf. "She needs clothes, too."

Daryl grabs a couple packs of plain white onesies hanging on the wall and hands them out for Maggie to take. He tries not to think of how of every section in the store, the baby section is mostly untouched. It's too depressing to think about; how everything's dead or dying and there's nothing being born to replace them.

"This, too," Maggie says and she reaches past Daryl to take a pack of baby caps as well.

"I'm trying to think of everything we had for Carl," Rick says, his hands on his hips as he looks over everything the store used to sell for babies. "Our parents threw Lori and me a baby shower and we couldn't believe all of the stuff we got for a baby. Everyone assured us that we needed it all and that we would use it all."

Daryl's pretty sure no one in the Dixon family ever had a baby shower. He's pretty sure his mom just pulled out a drawer from her dresser, emptied it and then lining it with blankets, that's where baby Daryl slept.

"Carl had his nursery and then the third bedroom in the house was stuff for just him, I swear," Rick smiles.

"Jus' gotta make sure lil' Annie's fed and her ass is dry and she'll be fine," Daryl says.

Rick keeps smiling and gives a nod. "You're right. Maybe that's why all of this happened. We all just got too hung up on having too much stuff that we didn't need."

"I think there could be a better way of teaching us _that_ lesson than ending the world," Maggie pipes in.

Not really comfortable with this conversation – Daryl's never had too much to his name even before the world went to shit – Daryl takes a step back. "'m gonna go see if there's anythin' else for us to grab."

Rick and Maggie both nod their heads and Daryl leaves them, heading down another aisle of the store. Thankfully, the prison has blankets and pillows and towels, bars of soap, socks and shoes – prison issue – so Daryl doesn't have to look for those things; long taken by earlier scavengers anyway. Instead, Daryl's eyes are out for other things. Rope. Lighters. Any kind of tool. He finds himself stopping at the housewares area though, his eyes landing on a bottle of blue Dawn dish soap. He doesn't know if the prison kitchen would have soap to wash the dishes with, but he finds himself grabbing the bottle anyway, looking down at it and thinking that even if the prison kitchen has dish soap, Beth might like the color of this one.

Of what he knows of Beth – which is damn near nothing at all – the girl seems to like color.

…

They're only gone for a few hours, but as Rick comes down the road and the prison appears before them, Daryl still finds himself releasing a held breath when Glenn is the one to unlock the gate for them to drive through. Glenn is smiling and he doesn't look like the entire family's been eaten by walkers so that's a good sign.

Hershel is outside and once they're out of the truck, Maggie gives her dad a tight hug and then gives Glenn a kiss before showing them both everything they've brought back with them. Rick heads inside to see Lori, Carl and Anne and Daryl follows behind – to check in with Carol and see if everything was okay today.

The first thing he notices, stepping into the common room, is that it smells like lemons. Faint, but lemons all the same. The whole room smells clean and like someone has been scrubbing at every nook and cranny of it. His eyes fly to the bin of dishes that had been left on one of the tables and he sees that it's gone, the bin now empty and sitting on the counter next to the useless microwave. The dishes are all clean and stacked neatly and Daryl feels his jaw clench. Before he can go ask Carol though if she was the one to go with Beth to the kitchen – and she damn well better have been – from the other doorway into the common room, Beth steps through, a smile across her face and a book hugged to her chest.

She's not alone though. Axel follows after her and Daryl's jaw is beginning to ache from being clenched so tight. He watches with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Thank you so, so much for showing me," Beth is saying to Axel and Daryl isn't missing the way Axel is looking at the girl; like she's good enough to eat.

This man has definitely been locked up for too long.

Daryl feels his fingers tighten around the crossbow in his hands.

"It was no problem at all," Axel tells her in his southern drawl. "You just let me know when you want to go back." He smiles at her and Daryl feels the need to punch that smile off of the man's perverted-ass face.

Beth turns then and her eyes widen slightly upon seeing Daryl standing there, watching them.

"You're back!" She states happily. "What do you think? Oscar helped me, but I cleaned the whole room and Carol and Lori came with me to wash the dishes. And then Axel showed me the prison library."

She holds up her book for him to see, but Daryl couldn't care less about the book. He stares at Beth for a moment and then his eyes move back to Axel. He doesn't stop frowning or glaring and from the corner of his eye, he can see Beth's smile begin to slip.

"I'm going to go out and see Maggie," Beth excuses herself and hurried from the common room, heading outside, leaving Daryl and Axel as the only ones in there for the time being.

Daryl doesn't wait a minute. "Stay away from her," he says – blunt and his voice low in warning.

Axel's smile beneath his mustache disappears and he crosses his arms over his chest, his hands stuffed under his armpits. Daryl's noticed that the man does that when he's feeling intimidated or threatened.

Good. Daryl's glad he's feeling both of those things right now.

"I was just showing her where the library was," Axel tells him.

"I don't care. Stay away from her from now on unless you want a machete in your skull like your buddy."

With that, Daryl turns and heads into the cell block. He can hear Rick and Lori talking in one of the cells and Carl asking if they found anything good, mainly comic books. Daryl doesn't have a cell picked out for himself, but right now, he just needs to be by himself – in private – and the perch won't give him that.

He takes the stairs to the second level two at a time and picks a cell at random. He sets the crossbow down on the desk bolted to the wall before dropping himself heavily onto the bottom bunk, tossing his arm over his eyes. He then remembers the bottle of Dawn blue dish soap in the truck that he got for Beth, but Daryl thinks now it'll be better if Beth doesn't know that he got it specifically for her.

She already has one old perverted ass chasing after her. She doesn't need another.

Not that he's chasing after her. Why the hell would he be doing that? Beth's family. Just family.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much for reading and please take a moment to review. Your response to the last chapter means so much to me, I can't even explain, and it makes me feel so humble that people still want to read my stories.**


	4. Apocalyptic Health Issues

…

 _"_ _There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind." – Little Women_

When Axel had taken her to the library, Beth had admittedly been surprised at how many books there were.

"Donations," he had told her.

There were rows and rows of different law books for the prisoners to read and study and work on their cases and then the other rows were filled with all sorts of different paperbacks and nonfiction books on just about every random subject Beth could think of – from basic carpentry how-to books to birds of South America. There had also been an impressive collection of classic books. Beth had taken _Little Women_ to read to begin with and already made plans to return to the library for more books when she was finished.

 _Little Women_ had been the book she had been reading in her junior English class when there was still school and classes and the world hadn't ended. Beth had fallen in love with what she had read of the book and now, she wants to finish it. There's no point in reading it anymore, she knows, because what does reading classics have anything to do with surviving in this new world now? But that's not going to stop Beth from reading this book or any of the other books in the prison library. The world may have ended, but Beth is not going to allow herself to get dumber or not continue to educate herself.

She thinks of Carl and Anne – when she's old enough – and she wonders what Rick and Lori's thoughts on education are. The way Carl is at this moment, she can't imagine him ever wanting to learn anything school related ever again, but maybe with Anne, they will all teach her different things – both things learned in and out of a classroom. Beth doesn't know how useful it will be, but no matter the state of the world, everyone will still need to know how to read… Right?

The night before, after dinner, Beth went into her cell and by candlelight, she sat at her desk and she read her book until she couldn't keep her eyes open or keep her head up. She's pretty sure she had fallen asleep at the desk, but when her eyes open the next morning, she's lying in her bed and she doesn't remember putting herself here. Did someone put her to bed last night? But who?

Certainly not her daddy. With one leg and walking with crutches, he would hardly be able to carry her. Not Glenn either. Glenn is strong in his own way and Beth isn't exactly heavy, but she can't imagine Glenn being able to pick her up and put her to bed without waking her up. Maybe Rick? She can't imagine Daryl doing it. When Daryl had gotten back from the run and she had seen him in the common room, he had seemed almost furious, but Beth hadn't been able to figure out why. The run had been a couple of days earlier and Daryl hasn't spoken to her since.

She tells herself that she should be used to that – after all, they had gone through an entire winter without Daryl ever talking with her – but since the birth of Anne, he had seemed to make more of an effort of at least acknowledging her presence in a room. And now that that's not happening anymore, Beth misses it.

So, no, she can't imagine Daryl even _thinking_ of seeing her sleeping at her desk and then carrying her to her bed.

She lays there, still trying to remember how she got here, but finally giving up. It doesn't really matter.

Everything around her is quiet and she wonders how early it is for everyone else to still be sleeping. Beth pulls herself from bed and then immediately turns to pull her blanket up over the sheets, making things neat again – a habit Annette had instilled in her from an early age and one she still has. She then grabs her bar of soap, washcloth, brush, toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste – all things that they have found in a supply closet, boxes and boxes of each. Rick had been right. A person wouldn't normally think of it, but this prison is a goldmine in terms of supplies that people don't think of grabbing during the height of chaos until they don't have them.

In her second pair of socks, Beth heads from her cell to the bathroom, seeing that everyone is still asleep in in their cells – except for Daryl not being on his perch. She passes Lori's cell and pauses to peek inside. The woman is lying on the bottom bunk, sleeping soundly, and Anne is in her crib that had been brought back from the Dollar General store, the baby also sleeping. She'll wake up every couple of hours for feeding or a diaper change and Beth knows that Lori and Rick are both absolutely exhausted, but anytime anyone offers Lori for help, she will shake her head and thank them for the offer, but she insists that she got it. Beth isn't sure why Lori wants to be the only one to take care of Anne – and sometimes, Rick – but Beth thinks it might be because Lori had been so close to dying in that boiler room, whether she, Beth and Carl ever admit such a thing out loud, and she had been so close to never holding her baby girl and she's still afraid.

At the moment, Lori and Anne's cell is the only one they have painted; three of the walls, a fresh coat of grey and one of the walls, a cotton candy pink. Just looking at Lori and Anne sleeping and then the walls, it makes Beth smile. Maybe, when they get more walls painted, it won't seem _too_ much like prison even though the bars on the windows will always be a reminder of it being just that.

Beth continues on to the bathroom and pushes open the door, coming to an abrupt halt when she sees that she has found Daryl. He's already up and in there as well, clearly having the same idea as she had had, his toothbrush in his mouth. He stops the movements of it as soon as he sees her in the mirror and he turns around to look at her.

Beth hesitates, wondering if she should just come back, but then, she stops herself. _Why_ should she come back? It's a communal bathroom. It's not like they'd have to share a sink. She'll just wait to use the toilet in the stall until he's gone again.

"Good morning," she greets him with a small smile.

He doesn't say anything through the toothbrush and mouth of toothpaste; not that she's expecting him to say anything to her. If she was Rick or Carol or _anyone_ else, they might get a grunt, but she doesn't even get that. Beth wishes she could ask him what she had done for him to go from ignoring her to acknowledging her for a brief time before going back to ignoring her; why he made the effort to give her Reese's peanut butter cups only then to treat her like she's nothing more than another head he has to keep alive.

Because, Beth, she reminds herself. That's all she is to Daryl Dixon.

After another moment of looking at her, Daryl turns back towards his sink and Beth goes to another. There are three sinks in the row and as Daryl stands at the one on the end, Beth goes to the other end so there is a sink between them. She does her best to ignore him as she looks at her reflection in the mirror though she is very aware of Daryl's presence. She had fallen asleep with her hair in the ponytail and she leaves it up for another moment as she bends down to wash her face with her bar of soap. She pats her face and stands straight again and when she pulls the towel down, from the corner of her eye, she can see Daryl looking at her. But when she turns her head towards him, Daryl moves his eyes to stare into the mirror's reflection.

He's still brushing his teeth when Beth squirts toothpaste on her toothbrush and begins brushing her own teeth. She is very aware that there are no sounds in the bathroom except the bristles running over their teeth and Beth tries her hardest to not look over to the only other person in the bathroom, but of course, since that's not where she wants her eyes to go, of course, that's where they seem to only want to go.

But it seems like whenever she glances to him, Daryl is glancing over to her, too, but then his eyes will snap back to his reflection and Beth will snap her eyes back to hers. She wonders if he's actually looking at her or if she so badly _wants_ him to that she's imagining it all.

Whether she's imagining it or Daryl really is looking at her, it's making Beth's heart flutter in her chest in a way that it hasn't done for so long; not since her first date with Jimmy and he came to the farm to pick her up. She had liked Jimmy so, so much and had been so excited when his friends had asked her friends if she would want to go out with him. She hasn't had her heart flutter like this since Jimmy and now it's fluttering again and it's happening while she's looking at Daryl Dixon – the complete opposite of Jimmy.

She thinks, maybe, it's too early to be trying to figure that out.

They finish brushing their teeth at the same time, both spitting into their sinks and rinsing and wiping their mouths. Beth stands straight and pulling the band from her hair, she brushes her hair out, working through a couple snarls, before pulling it back into another ponytail. From the corner of her eye, she sees Daryl suddenly leaning forward, his hands gripping the side of his sink.

"What is it?" Beth asks, turning towards him, taking a step towards him before stopping herself, knowing that he probably doesn't want her too close.

Daryl shakes his head, keeping it bowed so he's not looking at her. "Stomachache."

Beth watches him as he keeps himself hunched over the sink. She thinks of what they've eaten for dinner the night before. Spaghetti. And no one else has complained about their stomachs aching afterwards. She bites her lip as she watches him and she silently prays that it's _just_ a stomachache because today, it can be a thousand different things and they don't have a thousand different kind of medicines to help him.

She tries to think of what her daddy would ask him right now and what it means when her stomach suddenly aches and while she knows Daryl definitely doesn't have menstrual cramps, there could be another reason for his stomach aching. But she can't ask him that. Maybe she'll go get daddy so he can come back and ask him. If Hershel asks, Daryl might answer him. If Beth asks him, there's no way Daryl would ever tell her.

"Daryl?" She says his name gently.

Daryl, still bowed over, turns his head to look at her. He doesn't say anything, but with his eyes on her, she thinks maybe that that's his way of telling her to go on.

She chews on her lips for another second before taking a deep breath. "When was the last time you went…" she finds she can't finish the question so instead, she holds up two fingers.

"Jesus, Beth," he mutters, turning his head away from her again.

"It happens to everyone, Daryl," Beth tells him, feeling a little more confidence, becoming more convinced that that's what's wrong with him. "And our diets aren't the best and it can even be brought on by stress-"

"Please stop," Daryl grumbles now and he forces himself to push himself from the sink and stand up straight, but Beth isn't blind and she can see how uncomfortable he is.

"I'm going to go to the kitchen," she informs him. She has already thought of the collection of food they have in the common room and none of those things will really help Daryl in this particular situation.

"Why?" Daryl frowns at her, but Beth isn't going to be discouraged with how fierce he is looking at her right now. She woke up, not knowing what to do today, and now, she has a purpose and it's to help Daryl and no, it's not the most glamorous chore in the world, but Daryl is far more important than her and she needs to make sure that he's in tip-top form.

"Because there are certain things you can eat to help things... pass and I think the kitchen might have them," she explains.

Daryl sighs heavily. "Tell me what they are and I'll go get 'em myself," he says.

It's Beth's turn to frown fiercely at him. "No," her answer is short and emphatic. "I'm going to go."

"You ain't even wearin' shoes, girl."

"I'm wearing socks." It's a weak counter-point, but Beth doesn't care because he if _he's_ the one with the stomachache, he's still treating her like she's not even capable of walking down a hallway right now.

Daryl stares at her and she stares at him and after a long minute, Daryl sighs and turning, he grabs his crossbow from where it's propped up against the wall. "Le's go," he says, sighing; resigned.

Beth does her best to hide her smile as she turns and follows him from the bathroom. The cell block and common room is still quiet with their sleeping family and Beth thinks that Daryl might prefer it that way. She doubts he wants anyone to know that they have to go to the kitchen because he's having bowel issues.

They had cleaned out this hallway and all of these cells their first days in the prison and they walk now, side by side, not exchanging a word. She's not going to think of how she's completely alone now with this man; away from their family and their cellblock. She wishes she could say something to fill the silence – she knows she'll never get this chance again – but she can't think of anything to say; not to this man. This man is so far away from anyone she has ever known or spoken to before and it's true, these people are all family now, but that still doesn't mean that she and Daryl have any sort of connection between them.

"There a reason you ain't wearin' shoes?" Daryl is the one to break the silence.

Beth looks down to the thick socks on her feet and shrugs. "My cowboy boots… they've been pinching me lately and rubbing my heels."

"Why the hell haven' you said somethin'?" Daryl asks her and she looks at him to see that he's frowning.

"Because it's not like I can just go to the store for something else. That's what I have."

"I'll find you somethin' else when we go on a run again."

"I'm fine, Daryl," she replies.

Daryl snorts and shakes his head. "You're stubborn."

Beth lets out a laugh before she can stop herself. " _I'm_ stubborn? You refuse to admit that anything is the matter with you when you're doubled over."

"You're the one who told me that it happens to everyone and you're actin' like I'm dyin'," he says.

"I think it's pretty obvious why I'm acting like this," Beth answers back. "You're the most important person this family has and none of us can let anything happen to you."

Daryl doesn't say anything to that and she doesn't expect him to. He's already said more to her than is in his comfort zone and she wouldn't surprise if he doesn't talk to anyone for the next few days just to make up for it. They keep walking in silence, Beth looking at the random pieces of litter on the floor. Maybe she can get a broom and dustbin and clean this hallway up since this hallway to the kitchen will be heavily used by them.

"You think I'm the most important person in this family?" Daryl asks in a quiet voice.

"You keep us safe and fed. There wouldn't be a family without you," Beth tells him, matching his quietness with quiet of her own.

"You delivered a healthy baby and kept Lori alive when you did it. Can't even imagine how Rick would be if anythin' happened to Lori and Anne and it was you who made sure that we wouldn' find out."

Now, Beth is the one to fall quiet as she thinks that over. She knows what she had done had been important – and pretty incredible – but it is like she told Rick. If there had been anyone else in that boiler room other than her, they would have done anything to keep Lori and the baby alive, too. They're all part of this family and Beth just did what they all would do. There's nothing special about that.

In the kitchen, Daryl leads the way to the back rooms where the food is kept.

"Don't open that one," he warns her as they pass what used to be the walk-in freezer.

"Why not?" Beth frowns a little at the door.

"Guys were usin' it as a latrine. Haven' cleaned it out yet."

"Ugh," she says with a twisted face and she doesn't miss Daryl's smirk at that.

The back walls of the dry pantry are still crowded with cans and boxes of food. Beth can hardly believe the food at their fingertips now. They have to be smart about it and ration it, but still, so much food, it almost makes Beth cry just from the sight of it.

But crying can come later. Right now, she has the chance to help Daryl.

And thankfully, the prison pantry has what she needs; well, technically, what Daryl needs.

She turns to him, holding out the can of prunes. "Eat those and drink water and... well, it should come out." Her cheeks turn pink at that and she hopes that Daryl doesn't notice even though he notices everything.

"Thanks," Daryl mumbles, not looking into her face, and takes the can from her.

When they get back to the cell block – first stopping in the bathroom so they can get their things that they have left behind – other family are awake now and Carol is working on making their breakfast – another vat of oatmeal. Beth thinks of what else they can eat for breakfast so they don't through all of their oatmeal in the first month of being here.

"There you are," Hershel smiles when he sees her and if he thinks it's odd she's just walked in with Daryl, he doesn't make a peep about it.

Beth goes to him with her own smile and she glances back to Daryl, but he's already walking away. She's already decided that she won't check up on him later to see if the prunes have helped and she certainly doesn't expect Daryl to come and tell her if they have or not. She just hopes that no one will notice when she's watching him a bit more closely over the next few days.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading one of the most random chapters I've ever written for this couple (and which it kind of wrote itself) and please take a moment to review!**


	5. Little Brothers

…

Daryl looks over the pairs of shoes he had pulled out from under the bed. Tennis shoes and high heels, but that's not what he is looking for. The prison has shoes – cheap, canvas slip-on shoes that would be fine in the summer – but Daryl wants to get Beth another pair of boots. Boots are just better – for weather and walking around in and protecting the feet. For everything, really.

He stands up from the bed and crosses the small bedroom, opening the closet, hoping something's still in there. People are getting better and better at scavenging though and boots are one of those things that are needed. Everyone takes care of their feet these days. It's why he hates the idea of Beth walking around in just a pair of socks – he doesn't care how thick she says they are – and why he hates that she's wearing boots that are hurting her feet. Protecting them, yes, but still hurting them and Daryl wants to find her something else.

That morning, before he and Glenn had left, Daryl had casually asked Maggie what size shoe Beth wore, knowing that if he asked Beth herself, she wouldn't tell him. Girl is too damn stubborn and still insists she doesn't need a new pair of anything.

Maggie had given him a curious look, but then had told him the right size. If she thought it was weird that Daryl was asking, she didn't call him out on it and Daryl was grateful. Maggie must have agreed that her sister was in need of a new pair of somethings for her feet.

Standing at the closet, Daryl pauses, his eyes going to the top shelf. There is a collection of shoe boxes and Daryl grabs the top one. He knows immediately there aren't shoes inside though. The box is too light, but he opens the lid anyway to peek inside. Family pictures. Daryl quickly sets that box aside. He hates looking at things like that. He grabs the next box. Again, it's too light to have shoes inside, but again, he takes a peek – just in case it's something else useful to them. This one is filled with artwork – the kind that kids make in school – and Daryl hates looking at things like that, too. His eyes catch the top one – a small hand print cut out of construction paper and a name written in crayon. _Sofia_.

Christ, Daryl can't slam the lid on the box again quick enough.

He would abandon the search, but the woman who had lived here before, she had the same shoe size as Beth so Daryl reaches for the next box. This one is heavy, but Daryl scowls when he sees its another pair of high heels. For fuck's sake, how many pairs of heels do women need? Most useless things Daryl has ever seen. In his frustration, he pitches that box over his shoulder, letting it drop to the floor.

"Any luck?" Glenn asks, coming into the bedroom.

Daryl just shakes his head and grabs the last box on the shelf. A heavy one again, but he's not getting his hopes up. The way this woman's shoe collection has been going, he expects this to be a stupid pair of sandals. When he opens the box, he nearly drops it before regaining the strength in his hands. Glenn must have noticed because he comes to be at Daryl's side and to get a look inside of the box.

He lets out a whistle. "Nice."

It's filled to the brim with candy bars and other packaged sweets and while it is nice, right now, it's not what Daryl wants. He passes the box into Glenn's hands before getting down on his knees. The lady has more shoe boxes stacked on the floor of the closet.

He normally would grumble about how many pairs of shoes one single person needs, but today, he doesn't have those thoughts. Today, he's grateful to this woman for having too damn much of something.

"Try that one," Glenn speaks, still standing behind him.

"Which one?"

"That slightly bigger one on the bottom. Boots aren't going to be in a box the same as tennis shoes," Glenn tells him and Daryl knows that Glenn had had a couple of sisters so he figures that Glenn would know more about this kind of thing than Daryl ever would.

He grabs and pulls the larger box out and flips open the lid. His breath freezes in his throat when he sees them. He's not looking at him, but he can practically hear the grin on Glenn's face.

Daryl picks one of the black boots up just to make sure of the size – and to make sure it's real. Size 7 – perfect. He just hopes that a size 7 is the same for all women and that these will give Beth more comfort when she's wearing them. They're simple – black and laced with a round toe and it looks like they'll come up a little bit past her ankle. To be honest, they seem pretty perfect to Daryl. He turns the boot over to look at the sole. Good, tough rubber sole that won't be slipping all over the place. It also looks like the woman who had owned these had barely worn them.

He wonders – briefly – if Beth will like them, but then he tells himself that that doesn't matter. She said it herself. It's not like any of them can go to a store and pick up something new. What they find is what they get and the girl should be grateful for any pair of boots he finds her.

He feels like a dick for that thought. _Of course_ Beth will be grateful. He may not know her as well as he knows some of the others, but one thing he does know about her and that Beth is definitely a "glass half full" kind of girl. He'll go back to the prison and show her these boots and after reminding him that she didn't need new boots – and Daryl will be sure to call bullshit on that – she will then thank him as graciously as a person can.

"Good find," Glenn comments and Daryl nods in agreement.

He puts the boot back in the box and stands up, tucking the box under his arm and glances to Glenn, who's looking at him with a smile. "Wha'?" Daryl grunts at him.

"I was worried that if we didn't find any, you'd be dragging us for even longer," Glenn says with a shrug.

"We ain't been gone that long," Daryl tells him, his frown growing heavier.

"This is our fourth house. Not that I'm counting."

"If you didn' wanna come, you didn' have to," Daryl reminds him and turns, heading out of the bedroom and thinking that that will be the end of the conversation, but with Glenn, he should know better.

He's never had one, but he's fairly certain that if he did have a little brother, he'd be just like Glenn; loving to torment his older brother and get on his last nerve. Daryl wonders if he'd ever been like this with Merle. Daryl can't remember; doubts that he ever was like that. He wonders if Merle ever got annoyed with him for annoying him; for always having Daryl follow him around from one place to the next; annoyed for having his baby brother tagging along and cramping his style.

And thinking of how things used to be with Merle, Daryl naturally thinks of his brother and wonders – not for the first time, by far – where the hell he is. He's not dead. Daryl knows he's not. He feels like he would just _know_ if Merle wasn't alive, somewhere out there.

"If I hadn't come, we wouldn't have these," Glenn tells him, following behind and holding the box of sweets.

The other things they have found are in the bed of the pickup truck parked in the house's driveway and Daryl and Glenn add their boxes to it. Not a lot of things – being in the prison really has helped them when it comes to basic necessities, the supplies in the closets seemingly endless for their small family – but there are a few random articles of clothing – though the prison issue tee-shirts and sweatpants are being worn by everyone with no problem or complaint (so far)- more things for Anne and a few comic books for Carl and Maggie's got her pillows and now, Beth's got her boots.

Loading up with Daryl driving and Glenn in the passenger seat, Daryl pulls out of the driveway and points in the direction of the prison. He sees that Glenn is right. They _have_ been gone for a lot of the day. With the sun heading lower in the west, Daryl figures they'll get back right around dinner time. He wonders what Carol is making for them tonight. Carol has seemed to take over cooking duties and none of them are complaining as Carol was a stay-at-home woman while married to Ed and her cooking skills are better than any of theirs.

As he drives, Daryl finds his mind wandering again, but instead of thinking of his brother, Daryl's thinking of Beth. And he wonders _why_ he's thinking of Beth – which only seems to get him thinking of her even more as he tries to rack his brain for an explanation.

She told him that he's the most important person in their family and though Daryl knows he does a lot for them – and because he wants to, not because he has to – he doesn't agree with her. Even before they even talked with one another, while they were making endless circles all winter, running to stay alive, Daryl had felt that Beth was the most important. True, she doesn't kill as many walkers as most of them and she's young and weak – compared to the others – but she sang quietly for her daddy when Hershel asked and she always was checking on Lori and making sure the heavily pregnant woman was as comfortable as possible. One night, while on watch, Daryl had watched her sit up from where she was sleeping and covered Carl again with the blanket he had kicked off.

Beth took care of them.

She _takes_ care of them and it doesn't even seem as if she realizes that she does it.

She's been cleaning with supplies found in one of the closets, sweeping and wiping and mopping and making their cells and common room smell like lemons and bleach. She's painting the cells and she's even picked wildflowers from the prison yard and bringing them inside to leave them in a plastic pitcher on one of the tables in the common room, brightening the room even more.

Everyone smiles when they see her doing something else to make this prison feel more like a home for them and Beth does it all with a faint smile across her lips while humming a song and thinking that she's not doing anything important whatsoever.

Rick is on guard and when he sees the truck coming, he goes to unlock and open the gate, giving Daryl a smile as Daryl drives past, Daryl giving him a nod of his head.

When he parks up the hill and he and Glenn get out, Hershel and Lori – with Anne in her arms – have come out to see them and to see what they have brought back with them.

"Oh my gosh," Lori gasps when Glenn puts down the back hatch and she sees the baby things they've found.

"Good, huh?" Glenn gives her a grin and then climbs into the back. "Now, we don't have a theme for her cell, but…" he picks up one of the boxes that is of a baby activity center that Anne can sit in and bounce. "It's going to be African safari animals whether she likes it or not."

Lori laughs and Hershel smiles that smile of his that crinkles his eyes and Daryl finds his lips twitching, too.

"You two, _thank you_ ," Lori says, her voice dropping to a hush and she hugs Anna a little tighter. "It's all so amazing and… African safari animals are perfect. Don't you think, Annie?"

Anna is sucking on a pacifier from a pack they got for her at the Dollar General and she looks up at her mom, obviously not having an opinion one way or another on any of it. Daryl's pretty sure she's just passing gas.

"That's a good theme for a baby," Hershel agrees, stepping closer to the truck with his crutches. He pulls one of the boxes closer to him and flips the lid open. It's the box of sweets and Hershel lets out a whistle at the sight of them. "Well, I'll be."

"Maggie and Beth have both told me that we have to watch your sugar intake," Glenn tells him.

Hershel gives the man a mock frown. "I am a grown man and will eat whatever I darn well please." With that, he takes one of those Little Debbie brownie with the crushed walnuts on top in its plastic wrapping and slips it into his pocket. "And it's not like we have to tell Maggie and Beth anyway."

From the corner of his eye, he sees someone else coming out of their cell block and he turns his head to see that it's Beth, coming towards them and the truck with a smile.

Daryl finds himself suddenly feeling a little nervous and he has absolutely no idea why, but he can't deny that his stomach is knotting and it's nothing about being blocked anymore. Thankfully, that particular problem is gone – thanks to the girl walking towards him. Well, not _him_ specifically, but all of them; not that that fact does a shit to calm his nerves right now.

Wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans, he reaches into the truck bed and takes the boot box.

He turns to Beth just as she arrives. "Got you somethin'," he mumbles to her, holding out the box.

Beth's eyes widen as if she could never even dream of someone saying that to her. She then sees the box and she shakes her head without taking it.

"I told you, Daryl. I don't need-"

"Shut up and take it, Greene," he hears himself cutting in and Beth looks at him for a moment and even with her huge eyes and open face, Daryl has no idea what she's thinking right then, but at least she takes the box.

And when she opens the lid and sees the boots inside, she gasps. "They're…" she trails off and then steps forward to rest the box on the back hatch so she can lift one of the boots out, running her fingers lightly over it. "They're perfect," she says in a hushed voice as if she can't believe something as nice as this pair of boots is still out there in this world.

She suddenly puts the boot down and spinning towards him, she slips her arms around his waist, hugging him, Daryl jumping in surprise from it.

"They're perfect," she says again with her head turned and her ear to his chest. "Thank you so, so much, Daryl." She says and keeps hugging him.

Daryl can smell bleach coming from her; not overwhelming, but definitely the scent strong enough for his nose to detect and he knows that she's probably spent her day, cleaning.

"You're welcome," Daryl mumbles back and he can feel his chin scratching the top of her head.

He lifts his eyes to look at Hershel, Lori and Glenn – thinking that one of them will help him and tell Beth to let him go – but they're all watching with smiles. Glenn is grinning as if he's never seen anything better and even Hershel – who Daryl would think, for sure, would tell Beth to stop hugging him – is smiling, too, a warmth in the man's eyes that Daryl isn't going to even begin to understand.

Daryl lifts a hand to Beth's elbow, wondering how he can gently push her away without making it too obvious that that's what he's doing and how to do it without hurting her feelings – because _not_ hurting Beth's feelings has become important to him, but don't ask him why or when that happened – but, thankfully, Beth seems to read his mind because she pulls back, slowly, her head tilting up to look at him. Christ, she has big eyes. Have her eyes _always_ been this big?

With her arms falling away from him, Daryl takes a step back away from her. He suddenly feels like he's not getting enough oxygen and he's wondering if the bleach scent is making him dizzy; or if it's her eyes.

"Hope they fit," he says and then he looks away from her, needing her to stop looking at him, too. He looks at Lori instead. "I'll start carryin' this stuff inside for you."

"No," Lori instantly refuses with a shake of her head. "You and Glenn have done more than enough. I'll handle it and Carl will help me. But if you can take Anne for a second…"

And Lori doesn't give him the option of refusing; though Daryl can't imagine refusing on holding Anne. He loves the little baby already – just like the rest of the family already loves her, too. Anne represents something to them that they feel like they haven't had since they lost the farm that night. Anne is healthy and seems happy and a healthy, happy baby in this dead-filled world is as big a miracle that can happen nowadays; and Daryl doesn't even believe in stuff like that, but he can't deny that Anne being here and both she and Lori being alive is one of the most incredible things to happen to any of them in a long time; and for Daryl, ever.

"Hey, there, lil' Asskicker," Daryl smiles down at the baby once he's gotten his arms adjusted and the others – Glenn, Hershel, Lori and Beth – all smile and laugh at that and Daryl just keeps smiling, looking down to Anne. "You gonna like your safari animals?" He asks her and Anne just looks up at him like she had to Lori, her little hands curled into loose fists and sucking on her pacifier.

Beth is hugging her box to her chest and she lets out another laugh, watching. "She looks gassy to me," she comments, as if she had read Daryl's earlier thoughts, and Daryl finds himself smirking a little at that. "I'm going to go back inside and try these on. It _will_ be nice to not be walking around in socks all of the time," she then admits and Daryl keeps looking down at Anne, but he can feel that Beth isn't immediately leaving.

He jumps slightly, startled, when he feels light fingers on his arm and his eyes fly up to see Beth still there, now looking at him, touching his arm.

"Thank you, Daryl," she says again.

"Yeah, well…" his throat feels dry to him for some reason. "I owed you one."

That gets her smiling and it looks like she's laughing with her eyes and when she turns, she seems to be walking back towards the door of their cell block with an obvious bounce in her step. Daryl just hopes that it's not obvious to the others that he's actually watching her walk away.

"What'd she do?" Glenn asks curiously.

Daryl looks at the man with a frown. "Minded her own damn business," he replies.

Glenn just gives him a grin and Daryl takes back his earlier thoughts. There is no way that he was _ever_ this annoying of a little brother to Merle.

But when he sees his brother again – and he _will_ see Merle again – Daryl will be sure to ask him.

…

* * *

 **I wanted to be able to update sooner, but work has been awful for the past couple of days. Thank you so, so much to those reading, commenting and enjoying this one so far! (This story will move a bit slower than S3 and I will be** **omitting** **some things from that season that I just didn't care for, personally, so I hope there aren't too many expecting it to follow the S3 story line too closely).**


	6. Vegan Cornbread

…

Beth has absolutely no idea how this is going to taste, but she's come too far to just stop making it now. It _looks_ like it's supposed to look, but that has absolutely no bearing on whether it will taste like it's supposed to taste. She supposes that she can just tell herself that it's the thought that counts, but she wants this to actually be good for him.

She still has such a hard time believing how much food they have now. They are rationing it – the smart thing to do – but there are so many boxes and cans and Beth doesn't know how long the five prisoners had been locked in the kitchen when they first came, but even with five grown men, eating, there is still so much food. Not to mention that there is the large store room that had stocked the commissary and they now have bags and bags of (slightly) stale potato chips, knock-off Hostess products, candies and candy bars, and warm soda. But on top of all of that, one of the greatest things is now in their possession now as well.

Evaporated milk. Cans and cans on the shelves of evaporated milk.

She doesn't even know if Daryl likes cornbread – but honestly, who _doesn't_ like cornbread? – but she had taken one of their many boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix and with a can of evaporated milk, she has stirred the mix together, knowing that the directions call for an egg to be used as well, but they don't have eggs so she has to do without and she can only hope that it's okay. It looks okay, but Beth finds herself growing more and more nervous that it won't be. How would Daryl like vegan cornbread? Would evaporated milk count as being part of a vegan diet? She nearly giggles at the image of Daryl being a vegan in any capacity.

She wants to make Daryl cornbread that will actually taste good because he went out of his way to find her a pair of boots – that fit her feet like a dream – and she wants to thank him.

It's important to her that she thanks him no matter how much he'll probably try to shrug it off.

She remembers in high school, she would bake Jimmy cupcakes or cookies sometimes and he always acted as if it was the best thing anyone had ever done for him. Beth hopes Daryl will react the same way when she presents him with freshly-baked cornbread. Daryl does so much for everyone and she knows that a simple pan of cornbread is nowhere near enough to thank him for everything – and if she thinks about it, it is kind of stupid – but she hopes that maybe he'll appreciate it nonetheless.

The prison's kitchen is a bit old-fashioned – except for the large walk-in freezer and refrigerator units that Oscar, Axel and Daryl had cleaned out the day before – and some – not all, but some – of the stoves and ovens can be used with firewood. Thank goodness.

One of the things the family has in their own supplies is an iron skillet and Beth is using that now, cooking skillet cornbread for Daryl on the stovetop, standing and keeping watch because she has no idea how to cook on a wood-burning stove and the last thing she wants to do is burn this cornbread that will be Daryl's and waste milk and Jiffy mix in the process. Nothing can be wasted these days and Beth won't be the one to do it.

It's quiet in the kitchen and the kitchen is so large and seemingly cavernous and Beth begins to hum to herself, feeling a bit nervous at how just quiet it is and how alone she seems to be. She tries to tell herself that she's being silly and that this part of the prison is safe and free of walkers and Carol had been in here earlier, cleaning up from breakfast, before leaving with a promise that she would be back soon.

She tries to think of anything other than being completely alone right now. She continues humming, making the song up as she goes along, and she steps back from the stove with a little move of her hips. She smiles and keeps humming as she begins moving her body to a made-up dance to the made-up song.

 _BAM!_

Beth lets out a scream and spins around to see Oscar standing on the other side of the metal workstation.

"You scared me!" Beth exclaims, more embarrassed than anything else, her heart hammering in her chest.

She has a thought in the back of her mind then. _Thank goodness it isn't Daryl who saw her._

"Was that a Pitbull song?" Oscar asks and Beth rolls her eyes, stepping back towards the stove. "I read your book," he then says and Beth turns to face him, seeing that that's what the loud bam had been; Oscar dropping the book down onto the metal top.

"Well, it's _not_ my book. I didn't write it," she smiles, picking it up. She flips through the pages quickly and then looks back to him, seeing his frown. "You didn't like it?" She then guesses.

"That ending was complete bullshit," Oscar scowls. "The entire story of their relationship and being together and she and the baby just die at the end like that?"

Beth smiles faintly and shrugs, setting the book back down. "That's Hemingway for you." She looks to the stovetop and the cornbread still baking in the skillet. "I'm glad you read it though," she gives him another smile and Oscar gives a single nod, crossing his arms over his chest. "So… do you want to read another one?"

"Not Hemingway," his response is emphatic and Beth lets out a laugh.

"I promise," she swears. "Once I'm done with Daryl's cornbread and drop it off to him, we'll go back to the library and we'll see what they have two copies of so I can read the book this time with you."

She still isn't quite sure how this happened between her and Oscar. She had gone to the library to return the copy of _Little Women_ and pick another to read and Oscar had been in there as well. Beth hadn't yet spoken to the man; he making her nervous, if she was being honest. He, after all, had been in prison and she doubts he had been arrested on his way to church. He was a large man – much larger than any of the other men in her family – and he also seemed to never smile; his resting face seemed to naturally fall into a scowl.

But he had been in the library, standing in front of the fiction shelves, and Beth couldn't very well turn right around at the sight of him and leave. They all lived here together now and her daddy and Rick and Daryl all seemed to think he was fine or otherwise, he wouldn't be here at all.

"Anything good?" She had asked him, coming up to his side; giving him a small smile.

Oscar looked to her for a moment before back to the books. "I thought there was no harm in having something to do at night when I'm not on guard duty."

Beth nodded at that. "I was reading him in high school, before…" she trailed off and took a copy of _The Scarlet Letter_ by Nathanial Hawthorne down from the shelf. "I don't know if you have already read it…"

Oscar hesitated, looking down to the worn paperback before looking to Beth. "I'm not…"

He didn't finish and Beth's face flushed. She had just assumed that he knew how to read, but illiteracy was more common in this country than anyone would have ever guessed.

Oscar took a deep breath. "I'm not a strong reader."

Beth had smiled at him, making sure there was no judgement in her eyes – because she didn't have any. "Alright. Let's pick something else. Hawthorne is definitely not for everyone." She returned the book to the shelf and after a moment of looking over the offerings, she plucked one from the shelf. "Try this one. It's honestly one of my favorites."

That seemed to convince Oscar and he took the copy of _The Outsiders_ by S.E. Hinton.

"Let me know what you think," she smiled.

"Thanks," Oscar had said with another head nod and Beth had just kept smiling.

That was two books ago and Beth likes to think that she and Oscar have formed some kind of friendship between them; a book club for the two of them.

"Oh!" Beth exclaims then. "If the library has copies of it, we should try _Frankenstein_. I've always wanted to read it and would have read it senior year."

"You don't see enough dead things walking around in your real life? You want to read about it, too?" Oscar asks with his usual frown.

"I do," Beth smiles with a nod.

"Fine," Oscar nods. "The movie wasn't too bad."

"I'll come find you when I'm done with this," she promises.

Oscar nods and picks up _A Farewell to Arms_ again, rolling the paperback in his hand and looking like he's about to smack a spider with it. "That smells good," he then tells her.

"It does?" And Beth doesn't want to admit that that's exactly what she needs to hear right now.

"Daryl's a lucky guy," Oscar comments and Beth feels flames rush up her neck to her chest.

She turns back towards the stove to look down to the skillet of cornbread, certain that if she keeps looking at Oscar, Oscar will be able to read all of her thoughts. He'll know how important this is to her; how badly she wants this to taste good and how she badly she wants Daryl to like this.

"See you in a bit," Oscar says and Beth keeps facing the stove, knowing that her blush is still too evident.

She is then left alone in the kitchen again and she exhales a breath that had been trapped in her chest.

Is making Daryl a skillet of cornbread being too obvious? Too obvious of what though? She knows the answer to that, but she knows she's not ready to admit it yet. Because if she admits it – even to herself – that makes it real and she knows she's just not ready to face it yet. Yes, she's confessed to herself that she finds Daryl Dixon a handsome man, but anything more than that…

Not for the first time, she wishes she was brave like Maggie. Maggie liked Glenn and went for it without hesitation. That's always been Maggie though. Maggie has always acted as if there are never any consequences to her actions; and if there are consequences, Maggie never thinks about them anyway.

Beth has always been the sort to think her actions through – probably too much, to be honest – and has always thought of what her parents would think of what she did and she's the sort to date the same boy for two years while Maggie never had the same boyfriend for two consecutive months.

When Maggie decided she liked Glenn, she didn't bake him cornbread. She took her clothes off in the drugstore. When Maggie had told her that night, the two sisters sitting on Beth's bed and Maggie confiding to her younger sister, Beth had tried to keep the shock from her face, knowing that she shouldn't feel shock because what Maggie did with Glenn in the drugstore is just what Maggie does.

Beth looks down to the cornbread now and can't help, but frown, thinking her stomach is sinking to her feet. She's such a stupid little girl and when she shows Daryl the skillet, she doesn't doubt that he will think the same thing.

She takes one of the toothpicks from the box on the counter and slowly tabs the middle of the cornbread, pulling it out again to see that it's clean and nothing has stuck to it. She supposes it will be as done as it will be and the last thing she wants to do is burn it.

She has oven mitts nearby and she tugs them on over her hands before carefully lifting the heavy skillet up. Oscar's right. It does smell good and it's golden like cornbread should be. She just hopes that not having an egg in here like the recipe called for isn't _too_ obvious.

She walks from the kitchen back to their cell block, keeping a close eye on the skillet in her hands. The absolute last thing she wants to do is trip over anything and watch this cornbread splat down onto the ground. And yes, she saw Daryl eat an owl once so she can imagine him eating cornbread scooped from the ground, but she doesn't want him to have to.

Beth admits that she's relieved to see that the common room is empty. Everyone seems to be doing various chores outside that late morning. In the cells, Lori and Anne are in theirs, taking a nap, and Glenn is snoring in his and Maggie's cell – Glenn having been on guard duty last night with Daryl. If Daryl is on the second level, sleeping in his bed, Beth will just leave this on his desk and then go find Oscar so they can go to the library.

She walks up the metal-grated stairs as slowly as she possibly can.

Daryl has finally moved from the perch into a cell though he seemed to have done it just so he has a bit of privacy when he gets dressed in the mornings. He tends to spend as little time in there as he possibly can. Beth agrees that the cells can sometimes feel claustrophobic, but she still likes that she has her own space after going through a season, living practically on top of one another.

Beth stops outside of Daryl's cell and peeps inside. Like Glenn, Daryl is lying on his bottom bunk, on his back, his arm thrown over his eyes and his chest rising and falling steadily as he sleeps. She takes a deep – quiet – breath and tiptoes inside, making sure she's being silent and with the same treatment, she sets the skillet down on his desk, silently and carefully.

"Wha' are you doin'?"

The sudden familiar gravel voice makes her jump and she spins towards the bunk. Daryl's arm is still thrown over his eyes and she wonders how he had known she was in here. She then wonders if he knows it's her or if he thinks it's someone else. Rick or Carol or anyone else who actually has any business being in his cell.

"I made you some cornbread," Beth answers and is silently pleased with herself for being able to answer at all and she slowly pulls the oven mitts off her hands as Daryl moves his arm and then sits up, swinging his legs down so his feet can rest on the floor.

He stares at her for a moment and Beth has no idea what he's thinking when he looks at her and she wonders if she even wants to know.

"Why'd you do that?" He asks, his voice gruffer than usual from his sleep.

"Because you found me boots," Beth says with a slight shrug. "I wanted to thank you."

"Me findin' you boots was somethin' that had to be done," he says before turning his head away as he yawns and rubs a hand on the back of his head.

Right. Something that had to be done because that's what Beth is. A responsibility. A burden. A chore for the others to look after.

She feels heat rise again from her neck to her cheeks, but this time, it's a flush from embarrassment for having forgotten her role in the family. She has _no_ role.

"Well… it was no trouble and it meant something to me and I did the best I could without eggs so I hope it doesn't taste too bad," she says and he's looking at her again and Beth finds herself unable to look away from him and his eyes. She's never really noticed his eyes before – the watery blue of them and how bright they still are. They're not the biggest eyes in the world and yet, she knows that he doesn't miss anything.

Daryl is looking at her with that closed off, almost blank look of his and Beth feels like she's being dismissed without him saying a word. She takes a step away from the desk, closer to the cell's opening.

"I should get going. I'm meeting Oscar-"

"Why?" Daryl cuts in with a frown.

"We've kind of started a book club together and we're picking our next book," she tells him.

Daryl gets to his feet at that. He doesn't say anything as he goes to the skillet on the desk, looking down to the cornbread. Despite the walk from the kitchen up to his cell and having time to cool, Beth can still the heat from the skillet on her arm. Daryl is always wearing a knife in a sheath hooked through his belt loop and he takes it out now. Beth frowns, wondering why she hadn't thought to bring a knife from the kitchen that _hasn't_ been through the skulls of countless walkers.

She watches with a nervous stomach as Daryl cuts himself a piece of the cornbread and with his fingers, he brings it to his mouth, taking a bite so big, he nearly eats the piece whole. Beth watches with a breath held in her throat as he chews and then swallows. He then glances at her from the corner of his eye before cutting himself another piece.

"'s good," he says simply in true Daryl fashion and Beth can't help, but instantly smile at that as if he has just given her a raving four-star review. "You didn' need to though."

"I wanted to."

It is her turn to say simply and she shrugs again, hoping that he thinks it isn't a big deal and it certainly doesn't _mean_ anything and she would, of course, bake a skillet of cornbread for absolutely anyone and this skillet doesn't represent any thoughts or feelings she has specifically towards him.

She hopes he can read all of that from a shrug.

"If you want, you can come to the library with me and Oscar. You can join our book club," she smiles and she admits that she has absolutely no idea why she's just invited him. There's no way he would want to be a part of something as silly as a book club; despite the fact that she and Oscar don't think it's silly at all.

Still chewing on his second piece of cornbread, Daryl shakes his head and he then swallows. "Got too many important things to do than spend my time, readin'."

And Beth knows he doesn't mean anything by it. It's the truth. Daryl's days and nights are filled with keeping this prison – and everyone in it – safe. He doesn't have time to go to the library with her and read and talk about what they've read. And she also knows that he's not calling the book club – and by extension, _her_ – stupid, but somehow, with his words, that's exactly how Beth feels at this very second.

A stupid little girl with a stupid little crush making stupid little cornbread instead of seducing him and taking her clothes off like the other Greene sister would do.

Beth takes a quick step back. Daryl turns his head to look at her, almost as if he's surprised that she's leaving, and she thinks of something else to say, but her tongue is feeling dry and too big for her mouth and she just knows she has to get out of there right this second.

She does manage to give him a small smile though. At least, she thinks it's a smile and not a grimace and still, without saying another word, she turns and leaves his cell, hurrying back down the stairs, feeling her throat burning now as if she's going to start crying, but thankfully, she's able to scold herself before she can. She's not going to cry. Why is there even a reason to cry? She made him cornbread, it didn't kill him, and now, she has thanked him for her boots in the best way she thought she possibly could and they can now both go about their own business; their very _separate_ business.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much!**


	7. Something Worth Protecting

…

Daryl and Rick are awake and gone before anyone else is up – except for Glenn and Axel, who had been on guard the night before. They take a Nutri-Grain bar each from their commissary supplies and head towards the car this time. They don't want to waste all of the gas in the pickup truck before they can siphon some more; just one thing on the endless list of things that has to be done.

They aren't looking for anything in particular. Runs, for the moment, are all about building up their stock. Right now, it's all about finding anything that others haven't already found and taken for themselves.

They head in a direction they haven't gone in yet and stop at a ranch house, down a dirt drive, a bit off from the road, with the garage door open, but the car still parked inside. When Rick and Daryl get out of their own car, they note how quiet it is around here except for a few birds up in the trees, chirping. Rick still has his gun drawn though and Daryl's crossbow is loaded and ready to go.

They walk cautiously towards the open garage, both looking around with open, attentive eyes and neither hardly jump at the walker, locked in the car, knocking himself against the window as soon as he sees them. After taking a quick, thorough look around to make sure no other walkers are lurking or shuffling around, they begin to look around the garage to see if anything of use is still behind.

"Nothing," Rick sighs a minute later – a minute being all they need to see that the garage is cleaned out.

Daryl doesn't say anything to that. It doesn't feel right to him. Yeah, there's others out here, scavenging just like them, and this garage door is wide open so it's not too far of a stretch to think that others have come along to clean the place out. And yet… there's a fine layer of dust on the work tables and on the empty shelves. _Undisturbed_ dust meaning that there had been nothing before the dust came.

Turning, Daryl looks back to the car and the walker still growling and crawling at the glass from inside.

"Can you get the door for me?" Daryl asks and Rick nods, not questioning.

With his large hunting knife pulled from his sheath, Daryl waits as Rick slowly opens the door so the walker's weight thrown against the door doesn't throw him off balance. As soon as the door is open wide enough and the walker sticks his head out, Daryl sinks his knife into the walker's skull, the body dead once and for all. The keys are still in the ignition and as Rick pulls the walker's body out to drop it onto the floor, Daryl leans into the car and pulls on the trunk hatch.

At the back of the car, Rick is the one to push open the trunk and after they see what's inside, he looks to Daryl next to him. "How'd you know?" He asks.

Daryl shrugs, wondering how no one else had. "Dust wasn't moved," he answers as simply as he can.

He supposes people are still learning and are still looking for things that are right in front of their eyes. They'll learn soon enough, he guesses, but then, he kind of hopes that they _don't_ learn soon enough because that just means that there's more for him and his family for the time being.

In the car's trunk, there are gallons of water, several gas cans, a couple nylon duffle bags as well as a tool box and an axe. Rick grabs one of the duffle bags, pulling down the zipper to see what's inside. Flashlights, boxes of matches and three coffee cans of Folgers.

"Maggie and Beth will like this," Rick grins, taking out on the heavy coffee cans, testing the weight in his hand. "Hershel has told me that his daughters are coffee fiends."

Daryl's lips quirk a little at that, too, and deep down, he's glad that this run could bring something back for Beth. He's been trying to think of something he could get her – to thank her for the corn bread she made him; the best pan of corn bread he's ever had and she made it just for him, not expecting or telling him to share it with anyone else. And he knows that she made it to thank him for the boots, but he still wants to get her something else to thank _her_ for going through the trouble of making him something.

And he knows that coffee is a good find – hell, this whole trunk is a good find and he and Rick could turn around right now and head back to the prison – but he still wants to see if there's anything else; both for Beth and for everyone else. He doesn't want to make it too obvious that he's on the lookout for her. That will only lead to questions that he sure as hell isn't ready to answer.

Rick closes the trunk again – the supplies remaining in there for the moment until they can sweep the rest of the house and load it into their own car – and armed again, Rick heads to the door in the garage that leads into the house, Daryl – as always – right behind him.

After the trunk find, Daryl's hopes aren't too high for the rest of the house and when they get inside, he knows he's right. Others might not have figured out the trunk, but the house has been ransacked. Still, Daryl and Rick – after making sure there are no walkers or people lingering in any of the rooms – split up to check out the house on their own.

This house used to be stuffed. Daryl can just tell. And it used to be a nice house. He can easily tell that, too.

One year, while Merle was locked up and Daryl wasn't too sure what to do with himself besides wait for him, Daryl got a job on a construction site that was building new houses in a new subdivision. Honestly, most of them were just slapped together like a lot of the cookie-cutter houses out there, but there was one – Daryl had learned a lot working on that house. The guy who owned it, he was paying top-dollar for everything. The best countertops, the best siding, the best electricity and appliances and fixtures. Daryl looks around this house now. It might be some random ranch built in the middle-of-nowhere Georgie, but Daryl can tell that the homeowners had prided themselves on this house. He almost feels guilty now for going through it.

In one of the bedrooms, it used to be a bedroom belonging to a teenage girl. The light color of the walls – a purple so faint, it's almost white, but the sun comes in through the window, showing the true color. The lacey white curtains, the faded poster on the wall of some movie Daryl's seen once – _Sixteen Candles_ – but the girl's bed has been stripped of sheets and blankets and her pillow is gone now, too. That doesn't stop Daryl from looking through the dresser drawers, grabbing every bit of clothing that is still there without stopping to look over what he's grabbing.

In the back of his mind, he wonders what Beth's bedroom at the farm used to look like. He had never gone up to the second floor of the house, but for some reason, he can imagine Beth's room to be just like that except her bedroom would be painted a faint yellow color. He has no idea what the girl's favorite color is – and why the hell would he know something like that – but he sees yellow and he so easily associates it with Beth Greene – and not just because of her hair. It's sunshine.

The world is shit and Beth Greene is sunshine.

Daryl has no idea where that thought comes from and he shakes his head as if to get it out of there.

The girl's bookshelf is untouched, every shelf still filled with her books – and a few framed pictures of what, he assumes, were her friends and family. Daryl's eyes avoid those as he looks over the books in front of him. He hasn't been to the prison's library and he tries to assume what kind of books they have. He knows most prison library books comes from donations so a ton of cheap paperback books, plenty of Bibles and every prison has a section filled with law books. Daryl wonders what Beth and Oscar are reading right now. He wonders how he'd be able to find that out without coming right out and asking Beth about it.

She had seemed so excited when she mentioned the book club to him and had then suggested that he join her and Oscar in reading with them. Daryl had turned her down the only way he knows how to – shortly and bluntly and when Beth left his cell a second later, he regretted – not for the first time – that he just still doesn't know how to talk to people all that well; especially a person _anything_ like Beth Greene.

He grabs a few books now – some young adult books that seem to be geared towards teenage girls and books which Daryl doubts are stocked in the prison's library.

"Anything good in here?" Rick asks from the doorway.

Daryl shrugs, still looking at the bookcase in front of him.

Rick comes up to his side and looks down at the books in Daryl's hands. "For Beth?" He guesses.

Daryl shrugs and he doesn't like that Rick has so quickly assumed that that's who Daryl is thinking of right now. Is he being too obvious back at the prison when others are around? Do they think that him getting her boots means something more than him just looking after her feet? Daryl cares about everyone's feet. Everyone should know that by now and he can't have the girl walking around everywhere in just socks. Do they think that because she hugged him over those booths that something more is happening? And if that's what they think, why the hell hasn't anyone said anything about it? Daryl's an old man compared to that girl – and he's pretty sure that Beth's not even a legal age. Why would their family be okay with them hugging?

"I know she and Oscar have sort of a book club between them," Rick continues. "Lori and I were talking and both think it might be a good thing for Carl to join."

Daryl has no response to that and glances towards Rick from the corner of his eye to see if the man is expecting one.

"Nothing wrong with making sure we don't slide anymore backwards than we already have," Rick adds in a quieter tone as if thinking that last thought more to himself. "I'll take these out to the car. These, too?" He gestures towards the clothes pile on the bed. Daryl nods. "Did you look under the bed?"

"Not yet. Still gotta check the closet, too."

Rick nods and with the books and an armful of clothes, he leaves the room again and Daryl opens the closet door. What the hell is with the female population and having so many damn pairs of shoes? Last time he checked, all humans only got two feet and they can only wear one pair of shoes at a damn time.

He looks at the clothes still hanging on the bar and he can't help, but frown to himself. Yeah, he knows that there aren't a ton of teenage girls running around anymore, but clothes are clothes and why didn't people take these already? He briefly wonders if there's something wrong with them, but then he frowns. They're clothes. What the hell could be the matter with them?

It may be summer right now, but it won't be summer forever and Daryl grabs some of the sweaters in his arms, turning to dump them on the bed. His eyes then look to the top shelf of the closet. What do teenage girls keep on the shelves of their closet? Daryl's not sure if he actually wants to find out, but he reaches up anyway and takes down the box. It's not shoes, but it's a bit heavier than what he was expecting. He sets it down onto the floor and then pulls back the flaps. He actually find himself smiling a little when he looks and sifts aside the paper that's inside and all he can think about is how much Beth would probably like this.

Not that he has any clue what the hell Beth likes and doesn't like.

…

Beth hums to herself as she goes in and out of everyone's cells, depositing their small pile of laundry from the basket on her hip that she has washed and folded.

"You don't have to do that," Lori tells her as Beth comes into hers and Anne's cell, dropping off the largest pile and the only reason it's the largest is because Anne's cloth diapers are part of it.

"I don't mind," Beth shakes her head with a smile and the truth is she really doesn't.

There's just something about wearing clean clothes – no matter how dull the plain tee-shirts and the DOC prison sweatpants might be. Wearing clean clothes help a person just feel a little bit more human and in this new world, feeling human is one of the most important things there is.

Beth loves that she can do this for her family.

Lori had taken a shower a bit ago during Anne's morning nap and she is now trying to comb out the tangles in her long brown hair.

"Can I help?" Beth offers and already expecting Lori to decline. Lori very much likes to do everything on her own; ever since Anne was born though she should certainly know that no one is expecting her to.

"Yes," Lori sighs now though as if relieved that Beth has stepped in to offer.

Beth smiles and takes the comb and Lori sits down on the metal stool at the desk. Beth looks into Anne's crib, smiling down at the baby, awake and alert and sucking on her pacifier, before coming to stand behind Lori and she begins to comb through Lori's hair as gently as she can, mindful when the comb's teeth get caught on a snarl. It takes her a few minutes and she has resumed humming her song and Lori releases a soft sight as if she's never been more relaxed. And Beth thinks that that might actually be true. Going through these past few months, uncomfortable and pregnant, and then having to give birth to baby Anne in a prison boiler room of all places and now, her body doing its best to return to normal while caring for a newborn; not to mention that her husband and her have such a strained relationship between them and there's no hiding it from anyone.

Just thinking of it all now that this woman has gone through, Beth consciously slows her comb down to make sure this lasts a bit longer for Lori.

"Would you like a braid?" Beth asks once every tangle is combed out.

"Could you?" Lori asks.

Beth has an extra rubber band with her in her pocket – just in case the one in her ponytail snaps – and she begins to separate Lori's hair into three sections and plait it into a French braid.

"When Anne is old enough with a bit more hair, you're going to have to teach me how to do this," Lori says. "Obviously, I've never had to practice on Carl and I was never able to braid my own hair."

"I will gladly show you," Beth readily promises and just the idea of all of them still being here – both alive and in this prison – in a couple more hears when Anne has long hair like her mom to braid, it makes Beth smile.

"Thanks, Beth!" She hears Glenn call out from his cell.

"You're welcome!" Beth calls back, knowing that he's talking about the fresh tee-shirts on his and Maggie's bed, her fingers never moving in their braiding.

"You're doing such an amazing job," Lori says after a moment.

"It's just a French braid. It's really not that big of a deal."

"Not that. I meant with everything. The way you're painting and cleaning and making this place a home for all of us," Lori clarifies. "Rick and I were talking about it with your dad the other night."

Beth's fingers still at that. "You were?" She asks, but her voice is soft; as if she can hardly believe it and she supposes that she can't. Who would ever talk about her?

"Yes," Lori confirms with the tiniest nods so not to disrupt Beth's work. "Yes, killing walkers is important, but what's the point of killing walkers if we don't have something to protect? We all said that that's what you're doing. You're making this a home and making it something worth protecting."

Beth has absolutely no idea what to say to that. She's never thought of it like that before. She's honestly just been cleaning and helping Carol cook and doing laundry and painting because she's felt as if she has nothing else to do like everyone else.

But deep down, she supposes that that's exactly what she's doing. She's making this prison a home for herself and for all of them because she so desperately wants some place, _any_ place, to be a home again.

Once the braid is finished and Lori thanks her more times than necessary, Beth takes her now empty laundry basket and heads back towards her cell, her mind still churning and registering Lori's words.

"Oh!" She jumps slightly with surprise when she finds Daryl in her cell.

"Sorry," he says, stepping back from her bed. "Was jus' leavin' somethin' for you."

It takes her a second to get over the fact that Daryl is in her cell before she shakes her head slightly and gives him a small smile. "I'm glad you're back from the run," she says and then feels a heat on the back of her neck as she imagines the way Daryl is probably interpreting that.

A lovesick teenage girl, staring out the prison bars and watching for his return with bated breath.

"Was able to find you a bunch of stuff."

"Me?" Her brow furrows a bit at that. She then looks to the bed and sees clothes of all sorts and a small cardboard box. She wants to tell Daryl that she doesn't _need_ anything, but she swallows the words before she can. She'll let herself keep the daydream that Daryl was actually thinking of her – specially. "Thank you," she gives him a smile again as she goes towards the bed to see what there is.

Daryl takes a step back as if to give her more room and she remembers that she's still holding the laundry basket. Before she can turn to put it down, Daryl takes it from her arms and she gives him another smile. She thinks she can see his ears turn pink, but the lighting in her cell in the afternoon isn't the best. Looking back to the clothes, she sees that there are sweaters and a few button down plaids and a flannel shirt and a few pairs of jeans that she'll be able to wear with a belt.

"I love it all," she says to him and she knows that she's not imagining the small quirk of his lips at one corner of his mouth. She thinks that that is as much as Daryl Dixon ever smiles and he's smiling at her right now.

"Found you somethin' else," he says, his chin jutting towards the box. "But be careful."

Beth picks it up and it's a bit heavier than what she was initially expecting it to be. Holding it with one hand, she pulls back the flaps and then moves some of the packing paper that's inside. And once she sees what is nestled inside of the paper, she gasps and her eyes fly to look at Daryl, who is looking at her closely.

"Do you like it?" He asks and Beth could swear that if he was anyone else, she would think that he's nervous.

"Daryl…" she breathes his name and then slowly, she pulls the snow globe from the box. It's of a lone girl in a red hat and red mittens, standing on a hill, her face turned upwards with a smile. She shakes it gently and watches with a smile as the snowflakes inside the glass begin to swirl and dance all around. For some reason, watching it makes her feel like she could start crying. "This is my favorite thing anyone has ever gotten me," she says sincerely, looking back towards him so he can't possibly doubt her words.

Daryl visibly swallows then and looks at her for a long moment, his eyes locked with hers. She wonders if he feels the same tightening in her stomach that she is feeling in that moment as they look at one another.

"Daryl, thank you," she says and Daryl nods, taking a step back as if he expects her to hug him again; and it's with good reason that he is thinking that she will because she _wants_ to hug him. She also feels like she wants to kiss him, too, though she knows that that is one impulse she will do anything to keep herself from doing.

He sets the laundry basket down. "'m glad you like it. 's my way of thankin' you for the cornbread."

"Daryl," Beth says, biting back a smile while also feeling like sighing as if exasperated. "That cornbread was a thank _you_ for the boots."

He shrugs then and looking at her for another long-lasting second, he leaves her cell again without another word. Beth looks to the empty spot where he had just been standing and she is already thinking of what she could do for him to thank him for this snow globe; the most beautiful, perfect snow globe left in this world.

She looks back to it with a smile and noticing a turn on the bottom, Beth carefully twists it, winding it up. And when a simple tinkling song begins to play softly from the snow globe and the girl on the hill begins to turn in the snow, Beth watches and listens and even as she smiles, tears begin brimming in her eyes.

It really is perfect and the fact that Daryl saw this and thought to bring it back for her, the tightening in Beth's stomach grows more intense and she wonders what Daryl Dixon would do if she thanked him with a kiss.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much for reading and commenting! The way work has been going for me this week and since I rarely update on the weekends, I probably won't be able to finish working on the next chapter until next week so THANK YOU in advance for being patient!**


	8. Dracula's Garlic

…

Thankfully, they have no idea he's there and Daryl makes sure he doesn't make a sound to alert any of them of his presence as he sits on the floor of the library, his back against the wall as he's hidden by darkness and bookcases and he listens to them.

Maggie has joined the book club now as has Carl along with Beth and Oscar and the four now sit on the floor in the middle of the library, sharing copies because the prison library doesn't have enough for everyone. They're reading _Dracula_ this week, each taking turns and reading chapters out loud as the others listen. Beth is reading today, but Daryl tells himself that that's _not_ why he has snuck in the library today. He tells himself it's just because he's never read this book and he's seen enough versions of the movie and he wants to hear the story now.

 _"_ _Something made me start up-"_ Beth reads aloud. _"-a low, piteous howling of dogs somewhere far below in the valley, which was hidden from my sight. Louder it seemed to ring in my ears, and the floating motes of dust to take new shapes to the sound as they danced in the moonlight. I felt myself struggling to awake to some call of my instincts; nay, my very soul was struggling, and my half-remembered sensibilities were striving to answer the call. I was becoming hypnotized!_

 _"_ _Quicker and quicker danced the dust, and the moonbeams seemed to quiver as they went by me into the mass of gloom beyond. More and more they gathered till they seemed to take dim phantom shapes. And then I started, broad awake and in full possession of my senses, and ran screaming from the place. The phantom shapes, which were becoming gradually materialized from the moonbeams, were those of the three ghostly women to whom I was doomed. I fled, and felt somewhat safer in my own room, where there was no moonlight and where the lamp was burning brightly."_

If the world hadn't turned into the shithole it is now, Daryl thinks that Beth could have made a living, reading books on tape. Her voice is gentle and the rising and falling cadences in her voice as she reads reminds Daryl of waves, gently rolling in and pulling back, over and over again.

It's a voice that makes Daryl want to close his eyes so that's what he does. With Beth still reading and her voice sweeping into his ears, Daryl finds himself resting his head against the wall behind him and closing his eyes; unable to stop himself from doing so. He listens as she reads and he can't remember the last time he's felt this way – too long to even remember – but his entire body seems to be relaxing; unwinding at the rise and fall of her voice, it growing softer as he begins to feel himself drift away.

 _… "_ _Daryl" …_

The voice sounds far away at first and Daryl first thinks that it's part of his dream. But then it sounds a little bit closer and a little bit louder and it takes another moment for his eyes to flutter open from his nap.

He jumps when he sees Beth crouched in front of him.

"Sorry!" She winces. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn'," Daryl denies with a shake of his head though it's pretty damn obvious that that's what she did.

He blinks at her for a moment and then looks past her. He can't hear anyone else and it seems like they're the only two left in the library. He looks back to her and when his eyes meet hers, she gives him a small smile.

Daryl wonders if Beth Greene has _any_ idea of how big of an asshole he feels like when he looks at her. Because when he looks at Beth Greene, he sure as shit can't deny that she's beautiful. Not pretty or cute, but actually beautiful and he knows – without having to think it over – that he's never thought that before about any other female he's ever seen in his life.

Women in Daryl Dixon's old world could never be considered beautiful, in his opinion. All of them had lived hard lives and had had the eyes and wrinkles and frowns and attitudes to prove it. Too much hair spray and too much makeup and too many cigarettes. Those were the women Daryl were used to. He didn't even know there were girls like Beth Greene in this world until he rode his bike up the dirt drive of the Greene farm for the first time and saw her.

And she's too young for someone as old as him to be having those kinds of thoughts about. When he looks at her, he feels dirty because looking at her at all is just plain wrong.

He can't help, but wonder – sometimes – what Beth thinks about when she looks at him.

He quickly averts his eyes at that thought and using the wall behind him, he pushes himself to his feet and Beth pushes herself to her feet as well.

"What were you doing?" She asks him the question he wish she hadn't.

"Takin' a nap. Figured the library would be the best place for it since it's quiet."

It's bullshit – such _obvious_ bullshit – and Daryl looks at Beth and knows that she's able to smell it, too.

She is holding a book and Daryl watches it as she hugs it to her chest before giving him a small smile.

"If you want to sit with us next time, you can. You don't have to read. You can just listen," she suggests.

"Already told you, girl," Daryl says with a head shake. "Got too many important things to do than havin' the time to sit around in a book club."

He expects her to flush with embarrassment before saying something and hurrying away. That's what she usually does. He's learning things about her from just watching her and he's watching her a lot more than he ever used to; ever since he burst into that boiler room and saw that _she_ had been the reason Lori and Carl and the baby were all safe and sound. It was damn hard for him to not see her after that.

Now, at his answer, instead, Beth looks at him for a moment and she hugs the book a bit tighter and it looks as if she's doing her best to not start smiling. And seeing that, it makes Daryl frown.

"Wha'?" He asks almost in a growl.

Beth shakes her head. "Nothing. I see that you're _extremely_ busy if you're able to come to the library, during book club, to take a nap and not have the time to actually join."

"You sayin' I'm lyin'?" Daryl asks and his frown only deepens.

"Yes," Beth replies without hesitating and Daryl's not going to lie and say he's not surprised with her answer. She then shakes her head. "I know how busy you are, Daryl. A blind man could see how busy you are. But a blind man could also pick up on when you're lying."

"I don't lie," Daryl tells her and that's the truth.

He's never been one to lie; having never seen much a reason to tell lies. Telling lies or telling the truth usually got him whacked no matter what and Daryl had seen Merle tell so many lies and get in such deep trouble for one story or another, Daryl decided – long ago – that lying just wasn't worth all of the trouble it always seemed to cause.

So, why the hell is he lying to Beth right now? Why doesn't he just tell her the truth and tell her that he likes listening to her voice when she reads? Because _that_ will cause almost as much trouble as telling a lie. He can't tell this _girl_ that listening to her voice does things to him. That's just some trouble he's not looking to have for himself at the moment. Or ever.

"Then why won't you join book club?" Beth presses. "There has to be a reason. You don't like books?"

"If I say I don't, would it get you to get off my ass?"

Beth flushes at that, but she's still not making a move to drop the conversation or turning to leave.

"If that's the truth, then yes, I will," Beth promises. "Do you not like books?"

Daryl is too busy cursing himself in his head to answer her right away. What the hell was he thinking, allowing himself to actually drift off and fall asleep? If he hadn't, he could have snuck back out before anyone could find him instead of feeling trapped right now by Beth. And that's Daryl's least favorite feeling in this entire world. It always has been. His old man had trapped him in a corner enough times for, even now, years later Daryl to start feeling a tightness in his chest. Beth Greene is as far from Will Dixon as a person can be and Daryl knows that, but right now, at this second, she's got him trapped – against a wall and in a conversation he doesn't want to be in – and his mind switches to pure instinct now.

"Girl," he pushes himself from the wall and stands in front of her, bringing himself to his full height in front of her, towering over her. "The reason I'm not join' some stupid book club is 'cause that's what it is. Stupid. And it's not surprisin' to me that you're the one who started it. Nothin' else to do to fill your days so you're tryin' to get others to be as useless as you."

It's the instinct of survival and saving himself no matter what he has to do.

But he knows he's gone too far the instant the words leave his mouth and Beth flinches as if he's slapped her. He always goes too far when he's trapped in a corner; anything he has to do to save himself, that's what he does, but he looks at Beth and sees the tears pooling in her eyes and the way she's staring at him right now – as if no one has _ever_ hurt her as much as he's just hurt her – makes him want to run away and never look at her again because he doubts he'll ever be able to forget this look on Beth's face right now.

"Wow," she says softly – so softly, she's almost whispering, but not quite. "All you had to say, Daryl, was that you don't like books."

She turns away then, but before she can eve take a step away, Daryl's hand has shot out and he takes hold of her hand – not hard, but firm enough to keep her from walking.

"Beth, 'm-"

"Why are you such an asshole to me?" Beth demands, spinning back towards him and the tears are still in her eyes, but he sees a flash of something else and it's something he would much rather deal with than tears.

Anger.

Good, let her be pissed at him. He may not know Beth Greene when she's pissed, but he understands anger. He's been living and breathing, surrounded by anger for his entire life.

"I know I'm not Carol or Maggie and I know you think I'm useless, but I matter!" She tells him. "I'm here and I survived the same winter you did. Anne is alive because of me! Lori is alive because of me! Me! Not Maggie or Carol or Rick or _you_! I did that without any of you and you keep treating me like I'm nothing, but I'm here and I matter, Daryl!"

Daryl is aware that his fingers are still closed around her clenched hand and he wonders if she's aware, too.

"Beth," he says her name as if he's breathing it and with each exhale he takes, it's of her name.

He doesn't expect to hear it past her rant, but she does. Her mouth snaps shut and through her tears, she's glaring at him and it's like seeing a pissed-off kitten and it almost makes him want to smile, but he's not as stupid as to actually do that right now. He can easily imagine Beth bringing that book down on his head.

"'m sorry," he says, keeping his eyes on her so she can't doubt him. "'m real sorry and I never should have called you useless. You're not and everyone knows it. _I_ know it."

Beth exhales a heavy breath as if she hasn't breathed in so many minutes. "Then why…" He can tell her anger is leaving her and she visibly swallows. "Then _why_?" She asks and he doesn't need her to clarify.

Slowly, his hand drops from hers and he shrugs. "I jus'… I like listen' to you read and I didn' wanna tell you that so I thought bein' a dick would be easier," he finally admits.

Beth exhales a deep breath and looks him straight on. "And was it?" She wonders.

"'m not lookin' to have you yell at me like that again if that's what you mean. Think I'd rather face down another herd, to be honest," he says and Beth keeps looking at him and then, another moment later, he can see her lips beginning to twitch in a smile. He smiles a little, too, and it grows as Beth lets out the softest giggle, glancing away from him for a moment before looking back.

He notices that her cheeks are growing pink.

She exhales. "You really like listening to me read?"

Daryl pauses for just a second before he nods. "Yeah."

"We're meeting again tomorrow," she informs him. "If you feel like listening to some more."

"Yeah, I might," Daryl finds himself nodding his head to that and the smile Beth gives him when he says that, well, if his own harsh words had made her flinch as if he slapped her, Beth's smile to him nearly makes the breath catch in his lungs as if she's just punched him in the gut.

…

The prison already has a garden. Axel showed it to them and to the prisoners who had earned the privilege of being allowed to tend it and work in it, it was one of the greatest jobs – and honors – to have at the prison.

The prison yard had had good drainage and the prisoners had been growing all sorts of things. Corn, tomatoes and green beans as well as garlic and cucumbers. The garden isn't massive, but Hershel has already said that he plans on changing that. With Axel's help, they have already mapped out the ways in which they want to expand their crops for the rest of the spring and summer months and for next year, too. No one says it, but everyone loves that they're already making plans for the next year. God willing.

Everyone helps in the garden – except for baby Anne, obviously, and Lori despite her trying to. They keep telling her that she still needs to take it easy. But everyone else spends at least a few hours every day in the garden, helping dig and plant and pull weeds.

Beth squeezes the small, still-green tomatoes gently, testing them, knowing that they need at least a few more _weeks_ on the vines before they can be plucked and she's trying her hardest to not look over to Daryl, but _Good Lord_ , where on earth else is she supposed to look. Daryl is over at one of the ends of the garden, following Hershel's instructions as he digs in the grass, turning it over and exposing the rich soil beneath; his arms bare as he wears a sleeveless tee-shirt (one of the prison tee-shirts he's taken and ripped the sleeves from) and sweat glistens on his skin and his muscles move as he works the shovel into the ground.

She's never known herself to be an arm sort of girl and that nearly makes her snort. _Obviously,_ she wouldn't know that. She loved him, but Jimmy's arms were as thin as spaghetti noodles compared to Daryl's. Her throat is completely dry and it has nothing to do with the Georgia sun overhead, beating down on them all.

"Beth, check it out."

She is torn from her lustful thoughts – Daryl had been in the middle of wrapping those sweaty, muscular arms around her at the moment – and she turns her head away to see Carl coming towards her with a grin on his face. She easily meets it with her own smile. She's not an idiot and she is more than aware of Carl's crush on her. _Everyone_ in the family knows of it because he's twelve and certainly not subtle and Beth hopes that there doesn't have to come a day where she has to break Carl's heart because she loves him, but she doesn't _love_ him and the difference in those two words is all the difference in the world.

"Your dad said I could name our crops," Carl says and he holds up an index card. In black permanent marker, he's written _Dracula's Garlic_.

Beth lets out a laugh. "That's perfect, Carl," she tells him and he beams proudly.

"You want to help me name the rest?" Carl asks. "You're more creative than me."

Beth pauses for only a moment. It's just giving their crops silly names. It's not accepting Carl's marriage proposal. "I would love to help," she smiles and Carl keeps smiling and he seems to stand a little taller, too.

"I'm going to go get more index cards," he says before he turns and he's hurrying back up the hill towards their cell block and Beth tries to think of the easiest way possible to let down a twelve-year-old boy who is so convinced that he's already a man.

She turns her head away from watching him and she finds herself looking back towards Daryl. He has stopped digging and she's admittedly a bit started to see that he's watching her. When their eyes meet, Beth expects him to quickly move his eyes away, but instead, he keeps looking at her and then, he gives her a tiny smirk. Beth knows what he's smirking and she narrows her eyes at him. That only makes Daryl break into a smile though and Beth wishes she could be as intimidating in her glares as Maggie can be. Her older sister can cut anyone down with just a single look. Beth's never had that skill. Her brother, Shawn, used to tell her that she's always looked like a baby kitten, trying to look angry.

She personally doesn't see any reason to smile over Carl's crush of her. It's sweet, yes, but she remembers being twelve and how having a crush on someone could be both the best and worst things to ever happen. Their little group here is a family and Beth doesn't want to hurt _anyone_ in this family.

Hershel says something then to Daryl that Beth can't hear and Daryl gives a nod before grunting something back and then he begins shoveling again. And again, Beth finds herself unable to look away from him and those arms of his.

What would it feel like to be held by arms like those? Not the arms of a boy, but the unmistakable arms of a man; the arms of someone who would make Beth feel completely safe while in them?

And that's just another reason why hurting Carl's feelings are the last thing she wants to do because she completely understands where he's coming from.

He has a crush on someone he'll never – whether, deep down, he knows that or not – will never have while Beth has her own crush on someone else. And at least she already knows – going into the crush – that her crush on the man on the other side of the garden will never be reciprocated, no matter how much he likes listening to her read and no matter how badly her body aches for arms she will never feel.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much for reading! I don't know if I like this chapter or not, to be honest, but I hope it's not too terrible. I promise, things will begin picking up shortly. Thank you again!**


	9. Stupid Gut Feelings

…

Daryl doesn't know how long he lays there. An hour. Maybe two. All he knows is he can't get to sleep.

After a countless turn, he sits up with an aggravated sigh and rubbing a hand over his head, he then pulls himself from the bottom bunk, bones in his knees cracking, almost making him wince. Christ, he feels old. He's sure this paper-thin mattress on this hard bunk is doing him no favors, but he also knows that it beats sleeping on the cold, hard ground outside in the middle of winter. Maybe, later, he'll go into a few cells and take a few extra mattresses. Maybe that's why he can't sleep right now.

The rest of the block doesn't seem to have that issue once Daryl has tied his boots back on and with his crossbow, steps from his cell. Sounds of everyone else sleeping deeply – and peacefully – meets his ears as he silently walks down the catwalk and down the stairs. Even the baby is sleeping.

Daryl doesn't know how long since they've been in this prison – a couple of months already now – but it's still amazing to him how quickly everyone can just relax and begin acting as if this has always been their home.

And Daryl admits that Rick finding this place had been a miracle and they couldn't ask for anything better, but Daryl doesn't know if he'll _ever_ be able to completely relax no matter how long they've been here. He knows that Rick is always on the lookout, too, but Daryl has also seen Rick find a basketball in one of the closets to bring back for Carl. No one wants the boy bouncing it though – too much noise no matter how many fences they have – so Carl treats the basketball like a soccer ball and is constantly kicking and running after it when he's not on duty or working in the garden. Lori had mentioned that _before_ , she and Rick had just signed Carl up to play in some youth soccer league, but obviously he had never gotten the chance.

Everyone is in silent agreement that watching Carl running around after a ball, laughing and playing like the kid he is, it's one of the best things they've seen in a long time – after seeing Anne and Lori both still here.

They all want to make sure that Carl can play soccer – safely – for as long as he wants.

As he heads towards the common room, his steps slow when he sees a low, flickering light coming from Beth's cell. Is she up, too? What is she doing up?

Daryl's steps as silent as he pauses outside her cell and peeks in cautiously, not sure what he'll see.

Beth is lying on her bottom bunk – on her stomach with her legs stretched behind her – and her head is tilted down to a book open on her pillow in front of her. The candle is set carefully on an overturned bucket she's using as a nightstand table next to her. He wonders what she's reading and he wonders why she's still awake.

He hasn't made a sound and yet, Beth seems to sense him because she lifts her head and sees him looking in.

She gives him a soft smile. "What are you doing up?" She asks, almost in a whisper.

He doesn't answer right away, looking at the way the soft candlelight is bouncing across her pale skin; and then wondering _why_ he's looking at that.

He remembers her question and he shrugs. "Can't sleep. Mattress is hurtin' my back, I think."

Beth smiles a little at that and the nods in agreement. "I asked Maggie next time there's a run, if she can find me a comforter – or five," she says, still with a smile, and looking at it, it makes Daryl's lips twitch a little, too.

"Readin' anythin' good?" He then asks.

"I don't think so," she answers and then holds up the book so he can see the cover. He leans his head into a cell a bit more so he can see the title in the low light. He smirks a little and Beth smiles, almost giggling. "Axel told me that the library relied mostly on donations. I can't imagine a prison having this book otherwise."

"Kind of surprised you ain't read that already," Daryl admits and then finds himself hoping that she's not offended by that. He doesn't _want_ to offend her.

He's already made Beth angry over his stupid words already and he's not looking to do it again. Not just because he's surprised to find that an angry Beth Greene is actually a pretty damn scary Beth Greene, but also because the idea of saying something to hurt her or make her angry at him just doesn't sit right with him. He can't be sure when Beth Greene's thoughts and opinions on him began to become something he cared about, but he's here now and the truth is, he cares a hell a lot about it – whether he ever admits that to her – or anyone – or not.

"I was actually always so proud of myself for missing the _Twilight_ train the first time it came around," Beth says. "What about you? Did you ever see the movies?"

"Don't think I'm their targeted audience," Daryl says with a tiny smirk and it blooms into a small smile when Beth exhales the quietest giggle at that. He shifts a little on his feet and comes to stand more fully in the doorway of her cell. "Was gonna go out and make sure everythin's quiet." He pauses. "Wanna come with?"

"Yes," Beth's immediate answer surprises him, he's not going to lie.

She folds the page in _Twilight_ that she's on and closing the book, she sets it aside and then sits up, her boots close by. Daryl waits patiently as she tugs them on and laces them up.

"Are they fittin' alrigh'?" Daryl asks.

Beth lifts her head to give him a smile. "They fit perfectly," she tells him and Daryl's not sure why he feels the tips of his ears growing warm from her answer.

Maybe it's her smile. Christ, she's got a pretty smile. She's got a pretty… _everything_ , but Daryl can't think that thought without feeling too old and too dirty to be having any kind of thought like that and he enters a quick spiral of hating himself and mentally berating himself, asking himself what the hell is the matter with him that he looks at this _kid_ and think anything about her is pretty? She's too young for him to be having any thoughts about her.

But, a part in the back of his mind always seems to speak up. She's not a kid. Not really. Carl's a kid, but Beth's older than Carl and there's something about her that just seems so much older. Daryl wonders what happened that would cause that. He supposes he could just pick one because there's plenty to choose from. Her mama and brother, walking dead in front of her, slitting her wrists and almost killing herself, delivering a baby. Any of those things would be able to change _anyone_ and not just some teenage farm girl.

Beth stands up and leans down, blowing the candle out. Their eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness and the moonlight from outside coming in through the bars.

"Got your knife?" Daryl whispers.

Beth nods and shows her the sheath she has looped around her jeans belt. He nods back and then together, they head from their block into the common room and through the door that leads outside, both moving as quietly as they can so not to alert the others that they're awake. Daryl's not sure how the others would react if they woke up to see him and Beth going outside together in the middle of the night.

Daryl's not sure _how_ he wants them to react.

Outside, it's just as quiet as it is inside except for a few late crickets chirping and on the top step, Beth stops and takes a deep breath of the warm night air. Daryl turns from the bottom of the steps and looks up to her. The moon is a half-moon and is giving off plenty of light for Daryl to see her clearly. He swears that it's shining right down on her, bathing her in its white light and Daryl stares at her and can't look away.

Her head is tilted upwards, her eyes closed and a smile spread across her lips, and she then slowly brings her head forward again and her eyelids flutter open, landing right on his face. Daryl's not sure what it is – because he's never experiences anything like this – but as she looks down at him, he finds himself completely frozen. He feels as if he can't move from this spot even if he wants to. And he knows that he doesn't want to.

He finds himself very aware of his heart beating in his chest and he can feel how rapidly it's beating as if he's just finished sprinting away from a herd of walkers.

Daryl wonders how he's looking at her because even in the moonlight, he can see Beth beginning to blush across her cheeks and she lowers her eyes to the ground, almost shyly.

And as she looks away, that seems to break whatever the hell was over Daryl because he clears his throat and he's able to finally both look and step away.

He holds the crossbow in both his hands just a little bit tighter. "'m gonna go down the drive and check the fences," he says because he has to say _something_.

"Can I come?" She asks – still talking quietly as if she's still worried about waking someone up.

Daryl nods before he tells himself not to. "Yeah."

He waits for Beth to come down the steps and stand at his side. "Oscar should be out here somewhere. He's on watch tonight," he says and as he does, his eyes scan the yard for the large man.

But he doesn't see him anywhere and he frowns at that. What the hell is the point of being on watch and making sure everyone inside stays safe if you're not going to _watch_?

Together, Daryl and Beth begin walking across the concrete yard towards the gravel drive that slopes down to the gates of the prison. He doesn't say anything and he can't believe that Beth is waiting for him to. She should know him better than that even if they don't know each other that well at all. He's never been the sort to fill in silences with chatter. Actually, it seems like Beth is more of that kind of person.

And sure enough…

"Maybe it's too warm inside," Beth speaks then and Daryl almost smiles at himself for knowing that this girl probably couldn't stand the silence any longer. "And it's hot out here, but there some kind of breeze that we're not getting inside. Maybe that's why you can't sleep."

Daryl shrugs at that. "Maybe." He still thinks it's sleeping on a mattress as thin and light as a rice cake. "Never asked you what you were still doin' up. _Twilight_ too good to put down?" He asks, teasing, and he's pleased when Beth is able to hear that he is and she laughs softly.

"I don't know," she answers with a shake of her head. "I was cleaning so much today and I thought I would be exhausted, but when I went to bed, I couldn't keep my eyes closed."

Daryl is quiet for a moment, thinking that over. "'ve been meanin' to tell you. The cell block looks real nice."

Beth looks at him, her expression one of clearly not believing him.

"Wha'? It does look real nice," he tells her. "Never thought I'd smell bleach and lemons again."

Beth smiles a little at that and shrugs, looking down to the gravel beneath their feet as they walk. "I don't know how long we'll be able to be here and I know it's silly, but… I want us to feel at home here."

Daryl is quiet again; as if every word Beth says, he wants it to settle in his mind completely before he opens his mouth to say anything. "I don't think it's silly," he then admits in a low, quiet voice. Beth lifts her head and looks at him and he glances at her for just a second before moving his eyes away and giving a shrug. "Haven' had a home for a long time and when I did, never smelled like anything nice."

He has absolutely no idea why he's just said that to her. He doesn't say anything like that to anyone – not Rick or Carol. He knows that they can probably guess things, but they've never asked Daryl and they know that if they did ask, Daryl sure as hell would never answer.

He's just admitted more to Beth than he's ever admitted to anyone – before the end of the damn world or after – and he knows Beth's not a stupid girl. She'll be able to infer more than enough from what he's said.

There's a tension creeping across the back of his shoulders as he waits for whatever Beth is going to say to that. The last thing he wants is for her to say something that's said out of pity. He's always hated when people did that; looking at him like they could cry for his situation, but never doing a damn thing to help him.

He's had enough pity to last himself through five lifetimes and it never did a damn thing for him.

Before Beth can say anything, they both hear a bit of the gravel from behind them falling as if it's been kicked and Daryl doesn't think about it. When he spins around, raising and aiming the crossbow with one hand, he pushes Beth – probably too roughly, but he doesn't think about that right now – behind his back, shielding her. His heart is hammering and he hears Beth's gasp of surprise, her fingers clutching the back of his shirt, and he almost growls when he sees Oscar, standing near the top of the drive.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Daryl asks at a normal volume so Oscar can hear. "Where were you?"

"I was taking a leak," Oscar answers. He takes a moment to look at Daryl and Beth pokes her head from behind him. From the corner of his eye, he can see Beth smile at Oscar and give him a little wave.

"Hi, Oscar," she says, as innocent as peaches-and-cream.

Daryl feels the back of his neck flush. Why shouldn't she be acting innocent? They weren't doing anything wrong and Daryl finds himself looking back to Oscar with slightly narrowed eyes, wondering if Oscar is looking at Beth with him and thinking that there's anything, _but_ something innocent happening between them.

But Oscar just gives a little smile at Beth before his eyes go back to Daryl. "Everything alright?" He asks.

"Yeah, we just couldn' sleep. Was gonna walk the fences."

"Need me to come?" Oscar offers.

Daryl pauses. He should ask Oscar to come and he shouldn't want to be alone with Beth like his gut is telling him right now. He should punch himself in the gut to get it to stop telling him things like that.

"We're okay, Oscar," Beth is the one to speak up, coming to stand at Daryl's side, and Daryl can't help, but look at her with surprise he can't hide. She's still looking up at Oscar though and smiling. "Daryl doesn't know it yet, but he's going to help me get better at killing walkers through the fence."

"I am?" Daryl can't help, but ask.

Oscar chuckles. "Alright. You two have fun."

And with that, the man turns and heads back up the gravel drive, leaving them alone again.

Daryl turns to Beth and she's already facing him, giving him a wide smile.

"What am I doin?" He asks.

Beth giggles a little. "You're going to help me get better at killing walkers."

"You already know how to kill a walker," Daryl feels the need to point out to her.

"I know I know how to kill a walker, Daryl," she retorts. "But I don't think I'm very good at it and I want to be as good as you or Maggie or Carol. So I figure we can start through the fence and then maybe, soon, you can take me to practice _outside_ of the fence."

Daryl frowns at that. "Why you wanna practice with me?"

"Because you're the best," Beth answers as easily as if he's just asked her what color the sun is. "Because you keep us all safe and we all depend on you to keep us safe. I know no one will ever depend on me to do something like that, but I want to, at least, be able to depend on myself to keep myself safe."

"'s my job to keep you safe, Beth," Daryl says then before he's able to stop himself. "All of you," he quickly adds, his throat feeling too dry all of a sudden.

Beth's face softens as she looks up into his face and he feels a flush rising up his neck to his face, but he can't get himself to look away from her. His gut is telling him to keep looking at her and he can't get himself to ignore his gut's orders right now.

"It is and you do, Daryl," Beth tells him gently. "But what if, someday, for whatever reason, we're not near each other or what if another alarm goes off and we're all separated again?"

Daryl doesn't know what to say to that because he knows she's right. Anything can happen. Absolutely anything. They can't plan for anything and he can say he'll always be around to keep her and the rest of their family safe, but she's right. What if something happens to him and he's not around for any of their family?

He hesitates, but then he swallows and nods silently in agreement and a smile blooms across her face again.

"Thank you," she says and Daryl almost jumps when she rests a hand on his forearm. Her touch is light and her fingertips are cold. Or maybe he's just too hot right now.

Daryl still can't say anything, but he manages another nod and Beth's hand slowly slides off of his arm.

"I also have another motive," she then confesses and Daryl looks at her, waiting silently, curious. She smiles and it almost looks as if she's embarrassed. Or maybe nervous. Maybe a mixture of both. "The next time there's a run, I want to be able to go with you guys."

"No," Daryl is able to find his voice and his answer is swift and firm. "You're not going on a run, Beth."

Beth's smile disappears in a flash; replaced with a fierce frown. "Yes, Daryl. I am."

"Don't think I won't talk to your pops 'bout lettin' you outside these fences," Daryl says and he doesn't care if he's stepping over some invisible boundary right now.

The idea of Beth outside, out _there_ , he can feel his heart speeding up again and it's not the good kind of speeding up that he had felt minutes earlier while standing at her cell. That had been almost pleasant in its rapid speed. There is nothing pleasant about it this time. This rapid beating – he knows this kind of beating well. It's beating out of fear.

Beth crosses her arms over her chest and looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're going to tell my daddy on me and keep me locked up like some princess in a tower?" She questions him.

"Yes." Again, his answer is swift and firm; instant.

Beth stares at him for another moment and then sighs heavily, frowning at him. "You are such an impossible man, Daryl Dixon. I don't see you doing that to Maggie or Carol," she snaps at him and she spins on her heel.

He half expects her to storm up the gravel drive, back to their cell block, but instead, she spins towards the bottom of the drive and begins stalking towards the fences at the bottom.

"You're still going to help me with the fence walkers," she tells him over her shoulder.

Daryl hesitates before following after her, her words echoing in his ears as he easily catches up with her. Why _doesn't_ he do that with Maggie or Carol? His gut gives him an answer, but he's going to force himself to ignore that right now. He's not ready to listen to that.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much for reading and commenting! After an insane couple weeks at work, I think I might be able to write a bit more once again. Thank you for being patient with me between updates!**


	10. Female Seeking Friend

…

Beth smiles to herself as she gently shakes the snow globe and then watches the snow within the glass fall down around the girl figure on the hill. She had woken up that morning, feeling exhausted; as if she hadn't just slept through the whole night. When she had shuffled out into the common room where almost everyone else was gathered for breakfast, Beth hadn't been able to even shuffle to get herself a bowl for cereal before Maggie was at her side, her hand on her forehead. And then Glenn and Rick were there and her daddy joined them a moment later, his hand going to his forehead as soon as Maggie's fell away.

"I'm okay," Beth had insisted while wondering just how awful she must have looked if everyone had known – with just one look to her – that she _wasn't_ okay.

"Aren't you feeling well?" Maggie asked the obvious question.

"I'm feeling fine," Beth responded even as she just felt the urge to close her eyes and crawl back to bed.

She couldn't be sick. People weren't allowed to get sick anymore. There were medicines – that were quickly expiring and becoming useless – but other than that, all a person could do was pray that they didn't get worse or if they did, have family around who would be willing to not let them come back as a walker.

"What hurts?" Hershel asked her next.

Beth hesitated, looking to her daddy and then sister and Glenn before back to Hershel. She didn't look at Rick, standing there and studying her silently. She then sighed softly. "My head feels a bit heavy and my throat is just a little scratchy," she finally admitted, disappointed with herself that she had, but knowing that there was no way her family would believe her otherwise.

She had been ordered right back to bed and to stay here until her daddy gives her permission to leave again.

And this is where she has been all day. There were boxes of tea found in one of the guard's break rooms and Lori has been bringing her cups with dollops of honey to soothe her throat and Carol has brought her a steaming bowl of chicken broth soup for a late breakfast/early lunch.

Maggie and daddy both have been checking in on her periodically throughout the day and Carl has brought her some of his comic books for her to read so she doesn't get bored. It doesn't help though. She lies in her bottom bunk, staring up at the bed above her, sometimes, watching her snow globe, sometimes reading a comic book, sometimes taking a short nap, but for the most part, Beth lies there, feeling about as useful as a horn on a frog's head.

How had she gotten sick? No one else in the family is sick. And now, because of her, will others get sick now? However she got sick, Beth is furious at herself for allowing herself to be. Everyone else is spending their day, working as they always do, and Beth is here, in bed because she's gone and gotten sick like some weak idiot.

She sighs heavily and carefully turns onto her side, setting the snow globe down onto her overturned bucket nightstand. Maybe, the next time Daryl goes out for a run, she can ask him for an actual nightstand. It's something stupid, she knows, but a solid piece of furniture would be better than an overturned bucket anyway and deep down, Beth likes to imagine them staying here for a long time where a nightstand would be eventually useful. Maybe Daryl would see it that way, too, if she explained it to him.

She likes to think that Daryl would listen to her if she explained her reasoning behind wanting a nightstand. She's not entirely sure how Daryl looks at her. She won't go as far as to say that she and Daryl are friends. Daryl certainly doesn't look at her like she's another Rick or Carol to him, but maybe, he's beginning to think of her more as a part of this group rather than just another head he has to count and keep safe.

She likes to think that one day, maybe – _hopefully_ – she and Daryl can become friends. She would like him to look at her and consider her a friend. She knows her crush on him will certainly go nowhere and she is trying to put the kibosh on that as quickly as she can, but maybe being his friend would be the next best thing.

"That safe like that?"

Beth's eyes fly to her cell's opening and she can't help, but smile when the man from her thoughts is standing there, his crossbow on his back and the strap across his chest. Beth tells herself to not look at his chest.

"I think so," she says, giving him a faint smile and sitting herself up a bit against the pillow behind her.

Daryl comes into her cell then and takes the snow globe, gently setting it down onto the desk before coming and surprising Beth by pulling the bucket a bit away from the bed and then sitting down on it.

"How you feelin'?" He asks her.

Beth's feeling particularly warm at this very moment; all of a sudden. She knows it's from having Daryl sitting in her cell, next to her bed, while she's _in_ the bed, and she just hopes Daryl doesn't notice the growing pinkness of her cheeks. But since this is Daryl, he probably notices it straight away since he always notices everything. Beth has wanted to ask him how he got so good at tracking and hunting, but she's always stopped herself before the questions can leave her mouth; already knowing that he probably won't tell her.

Maybe when they're friends…

"I feel like such an idiot," Beth admits to him.

Daryl gives her a look at that. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"I got sick, Daryl," she frowns at him.

Daryl looks at her for a passing moment and then smirks a little. "Huh. Didn' know a person could decide when they get sick or not. Seems like there's a lot of dead people walkin' around for no reason."

Beth rolls her eyes and tries not to smile.

"Your pops was talkin'. He think you might have been inhalin' too much bleach lately," Daryl then says.

Beth's not sure what her expression is at that, but whatever it is, it makes Daryl frown when he sees it.

"That's serious, Beth," he tells her. "Nazis used to do experiments on Jews and POWs, usin' bleach to see what it would do to a body's lungs and esophagus."

"Really?"

Daryl pauses as if he's unsure of what he just said to her, but then he swallows and nods.

"I never learned that in history class," Beth then says.

"Me, neither. Read it in a book."

"Do you like reading about history?" Beth asks him curiously.

She never would have thought that about Daryl. Then again, when it comes to Daryl, so much of him is such a secret, Beth can't think of too much about him because she doesn't even know where to begin.

But this, knowing that he might possibly like history, that's _something_ – no matter how minute – and Beth is going to grasp a hold of that like it's a bone and she's a dog that won't let go.

Daryl shrugs. "If I gotta read somethin'…" he trails off and she doesn't expect him to say anything more. "I like to read 'bout World War II."

Beth smiles at him. "You should talk to my daddy about that. He's a bit of a World War II buff, too. I would have learned about it in school my junior year, but obviously, that didn't happen."

Daryl is quiet at that and she thinks he might be done talking about anything, but then he gives a single nod.

"Stopped goin' to school altogether when I was sixteen," he admits.

"Me, too," Beth says and Daryl lifts his eyes to look at her.

She gives him a small, almost shy, smile and she watches in amazement as the corners of Daryl's mouth twitch – ever so slightly – upwards as if he's smiling, too, and knowing Daryl Dixon does not smile over a lot of things, she can't miss the movement.

"I had this idea," she continues. "When Anne is a little older, and if Lori and Rick wouldn't mind, I would love to make a "school" for Anne. I always thought I would have gone to college to be a teacher someday."

"'s a good idea," Daryl says with a nod and she smiles as if she has never had anyone say anything better to her. Daryl looks at her smile and then he turns his head away, looking out the cell door opening and with the sun coming in through the windows, she can see the faintest bit of pink creeping up his neck.

"Tea time!" Maggie exclaims, coming into the cell with a plastic mug in her hand, steam swirling upwards.

She pauses when she sees Daryl sitting at her sister's bedside and Daryl stands up, adjusting his crossbow's strap across his chest.

"Gotta get back outside," he says to neither of them in particular.

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth says to him before he can leave.

Daryl stops at the cell doorway and looks back at her from over his shoulder. "Feel better, Beth," he says before walking out, leaving Maggie still standing there and looking to Beth with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Beth asks, unable to help herself from frowning. "I'm feeling better," she then says in hopes of keeping Maggie from talking about Daryl at all.

"That's great!" Maggie smiles and then wipes it from her face in an instant. "Drink your tea," she orders.

Beth sighs and pushes herself up into a full sitting position and Maggie carefully passes her the mug.

"So… what was Daryl doing in here?" Maggie asks, settling herself down on the overturned bucket because this is Maggie and Maggie can never help herself. Beth knows that no matter how old they both get in this life, Maggie will always be the ridiculously overprotective older sister to her.

"We were just talking," Beth answers as simply as possible before blowing gently on the tea so it doesn't scald her tongue with the first sip.

"About what?" Maggie asks, smiling because she's being nosy and she knows it.

"Nothing," Beth's reply is instant.

She takes a cautious sip of the tea and thinks over her conversation with Daryl. She had learned that he likes history and dropped out of high school at sixteen. It wasn't some massively long, in-depth conversation – not like what she's craving to have with him while knowing that that's not what she'll ever get – but still, she now knows two new things about him that she hadn't known just a few minutes ago.

"Nothing," Maggie echoes before exhaling a dreamy sigh and batting her eyelashes.

Beth promptly reaches over and pushes her sister in the arm. "Stop," she frowns and Maggie laughs.

"I'm sorry," Maggie says though Beth doubts that. "It's just… well, I'm not really used to seeing Daryl talk to anyone who's not Rick, daddy or Carol."

Beth takes another sip of her tea before nodding her head. "I know," she agrees softly.

She wonders how Maggie would react if she confessed that she wants to be Daryl's friend; or even more than that. She wonders if Maggie would immediately pull herself into mama bear mode and forbid her – as if she has any authority over Beth's life – from ever speaking with Daryl Dixon again. Maggie and Daryl seem to get along. If Beth confesses to her sister that she has a crush on the man, will Maggie confront Daryl about it and cause the man to speak to _none_ of them ever again?

Beth wishes she had someone she could talk to freely without worrying about what their reaction would be. A friend. She feels like she hasn't had an actual friend in so long. And then she feels a wave of guilt for not even being able to remember her best friend from school – Jenn – clear enough anymore. So many things have happened since the last time Beth and Jenn giggled together, it's just another memory fading to time.

Someone who she could tell her secrets to and who they could tell her their secrets in return. She sips at her tea and off in a cell further down the block, she hears Anne beginning to cry before Lori gently comforts her and promises a diaper change.

There's no one in their family though who she can talk to about Daryl and confess her feelings for the man without feeling completely embarrassed over the confession. She knows how they all still see her. She helped Lori through her labor and helped deliver Anne safely into this world, but everyone looks at her and because Beth has a young face, they all still insist on treating her like she is nothing more than a little girl they all have to protect no matter how much she grows in front of their eyes.

It certainly doesn't help her cause by being stuck in bed, sick.

…

Lori has Anne lying on a blanket on the bottom bunk in their cell and the baby peels with laughter when Lori leans down, blowing a raspberry onto her belly. Lori laughs and then does it again, Anne laughing even harder. Beth lingers in the doorway of the cell, feeling like she's intruding, but unable to turn herself away.

Lori sees her from the corner of her eye and when she turns her head and sees Beth, her smile remains.

"Hey," Lori greets. "I thought you were out in the garden with everyone else."

Beth nods and takes a step into the cell. "I was, but daddy told me to come back inside. I had been in the sun long enough." She can't help, but say it with an eye roll and Lori smiles, finishing up changing Anne's diaper.

"We just want you to stay healthy. Inhaling too much bleach and making yourself sick is no joke," Lori says.

"I know," Beth nods again and she does know. She just wished daddy hadn't ordered her back inside in front of Daryl; like she's ready to swoon into a faint at any second. It's been a few days since she was sick and she feels perfectly fine again. It's a hard thing though, she's discovering, of getting her other family to believe that.

Lori stands up, swooping Anne up into her arms, smiling as the baby laughs again and Beth smiles, too. It's amazing to her – and to everyone else – just how happy of a baby Anne is. She is always smiling and laughing and she makes everyone smile and laugh in return just with her looking at them.

Lori looks at Beth for a moment and Beth opens her mouth to say something, but words clump in her throat.

"I have to go throw this away outside so it can be burned," Lori says. "Would you like to walk with me?"

Beth's nod is instant and Lori gives her a smile.

Rick found a couple boxes of disposable diapers on a run he had made with Glenn – which have been a godsend – and they also have cloth diapers for Anne as well. There is a trash barrel outside where Lori will pitch the dirty disposable diapers in and someone will light them – and their other trash – on fire every couple of days. The barrel is located on the back courtyard, far away from their own block's yard, so they don't have to inhale the smell every time they step outside.

Beth's nose wrinkles as she takes the diaper from Lori and quickly runs to the barrel, holding her breath, pitching it in and then running back.

"Thank you," Lori smiles.

"You and Anne shouldn't have to breathe that," Beth says as she and Lori walk away from it again. Daryl is usually the one to light their trash on fire, doing so with a bandana over his nose and mouth so he doesn't have to inhale _too_ much of it. Beth is going to have to remember a bandana herself next time.

"Is everything alright?" Lori asks as they walk, Anne quiet and content in her mommy's arms as she sucks on one of her pacifiers.

"Of course," Beth gives her an overly bright smile.

"Beth," Lori says and that's all she says and Beth swallows, looking down to the ground as they walk. "I know I'm not your mom or your sister, but, if you need someone to talk to – about anything – I'm here to listen."

Beth lifts her eyes to look at the woman walking next to her. She remembers when Hershel had been wheeled back, his leg gone and bleeding what seemed to be buckets of blood. Beth remembers how even when Lori had been working frantically to save him, she had made the seconds time to hug Beth and assure her that he wasn't going to die.

Beth's mama is long dead and she has her daddy and sister, but Beth misses having that. She knows that Lori, obviously, isn't her mom, but maybe… maybe she could be her friend. Sometimes, she thinks that Lori might need someone to talk to, too.

"I…" Beth begins, but then hesitates. She admits that she doesn't necessarily know how to continue. But then, she figures that it's like pulling off a Band-Aid from her arm with the fine hairs. Sometimes, most times, it's just best to rip it off as quickly as humanly possible. "I like Daryl. I'm not sure when it happened, but it's happened and I really like him."

If she's expecting Lori to be shocked or disgusted, that's not at all what Lori does at Beth's admission.

Instead, Lori smiles. "I guessed as much." And when Beth looks at her with wide eyes, Lori just keeps smiling. "You haven't been obvious, if that's what you're worried about. But I see the way you look at him when you think no one else is noticing."

Beth feels her cheeks catch on fire at that and Lori adjusts Anne in her arms before stopping and turning to Beth. Without her needing to ask, Beth takes Anne into her own arms and Lori shakes hers out.

"I swear. This one is gaining a pound a day," Lori muses and Beth smiles down at the baby. "I also have seen the way Daryl looks at you when he thinks no one else is noticing."

Beth's eyes fly to her at that. "What?" She asks in a whisper, knowing that she just didn't hear that correctly.

"It's much more subtle with him, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't look at you every chance he gets and that doesn't mean that I'm not able to catch him when he does."

Beth finds herself shaking his head even as her heart begins speeding up its beats, fluttering up to the base of her throat and lodging itself there. "He can't… Daryl looks at me?"

Lori smiles gently at her and gives a nod. "As much as he can."

…

* * *

 **I am honestly shocked by how many love this story and it means the world to me. Thank you so, so much for reading and please take a moment to review!**


	11. Always on My Mind

**A lot of Daryl's thoughts in the chapter. There will be much more Beth/Daryl interaction in the next chapter.**

* * *

…

He has a dream about Merle and he knows it's a dream because all of a sudden, Daryl finds himself with his brother in the woods. It takes Daryl a second to figure out that he's about twelve-years-old, Merle is twenty-something and they're in the woods near their old man's house. Daryl kind of remembers this. Merle had just gotten out of a two-year stint in prison for stealing a car and he came home to see Daryl, the two brothers going outside rather than staying inside while Will Dixon was passed out on the couch in the living room.

 _"_ _Wha'? You didn' forget 'bout me, did you, baby brother?"_ Merle asks him with a grin.

Daryl immediately shakes his head. _"Would never do that, Merle."_

Daryl's eyes snap open and it takes his mind a moment to realize that he's lying in the bottom bunk in his cell in the prison and that Merle isn't there. He has no idea where Merle is; hasn't seen him in so long, but Daryl doesn't doubt that he's out there somewhere. He has to be. Daryl knows the he would just _feel_ it if his brother wasn't alive anywhere.

And Daryl's not looking for him. Merle is somewhere and Daryl hasn't tried to look for him in so long. What kind of brother does that make him? He had tried with everything inside of him to find Sophia and he can't even seem to give his brother the same effort.

Daryl lies on his bed, blinking up at the bed above him and not stopping himself from hating himself right now. He doesn't know what time it is. Early. The cell isn't completely black anymore with night and with the windows on the opposite wall across from the cells, he can see the sky as a dawn sort of grey. It's a new day and he thinks of what he has to do today. He promised Carol that he would go hunting; bring back some sort of meat that they can have for dinner that night. Daryl will still do that – but while he's hunting for dinner, he will be hunting for his brother, too.

The only problem is, Daryl has no idea where to begin to look. It's always been a big world and now, it seems to be even bigger. A person can be absolutely anywhere now. When Merle fled from Atlanta, who knows which direction he fled in?

Daryl thinks of where he would go if he had just chopped his own hand off and cauterized it shut on a stove. Getting the hell out of Atlanta would obviously be the first priority, but after that, where would he go? He tries to put himself into Merle's shoes – which is no easy feat, but Daryl makes an attempt at it anyway.

 _"_ _Wha'? You didn' forget 'bout me, did you, baby brother?"_

No. He didn't and he won't.

Not caring how early it is, sleep isn't going to be coming back to him again and he might as well get up.

Daryl pulls himself from the bunk and gets dressed in the dark, tugging on a fresh pair of socks and boxers.

The prison has plenty of male boxers in their supplies, but Maggie had come up to him to tell him that they had to go on a run soon and get the women some underwear for themselves. Daryl hadn't been able to look at Maggie after she told him that and with his ears on fire, he had managed to give a nod and tell her that he would be ready to go whenever she was.

They've all lived together long enough now for privacy and manners to sometimes – most times – take a backseat. Living on top of each other for so long, everyone is pretty much in tune with everyone else's bodies. Daryl tries to act like he doesn't know, but he pretty much knows the women's cycles when it comes to their monthly periods and when out on runs, he's always looking out for pads or tampons for them. Underwear shouldn't make him blush like he doesn't know by now that the women in their family wears them, but honestly, he's imagining _Beth_ needing pairs of underwear and Christ, that's just not something he's looking to think about. Ever.

Girl's not even legal, he's pretty sure. Underwear and Beth don't belong anywhere together in his mind.

Putting on his jeans and another tee-shirt – another thing the prison has something plenty of – Daryl sits down on the bed again to tug on and lace up his boots. He can hear a murmur of quiet voices down below and he can hear a quiet cry coming from Anne before the baby is almost immediately gently hushed by Lori.

Grabbing his crossbow, Daryl leaves his cell, making sure to swipe his toothbrush on the way out. He'll eat something and then brush before heading out. He sees that it's Rick and Glenn who are awake and talking in quiet voices. Both look to see Daryl coming down the stairs and Daryl comes to join them. He doesn't say anything. He lets the other two resume talking.

"I don't think we should," Glenn is saying. "It's quiet here. If there are other people around, they don't know we're here and I'd like to keep it that way."

"There's no harm in going out there and getting as much to add to our stock as we can," is Rick's response.

Glenn shakes his head. "We have a fence. We have a garden. We have clothes. What else do we need?"

"The food in the kitchen won't last forever-"

"Hence the garden," Glenn cuts in.

"We can go out and find some more. Maybe even get ourselves a horse. Pigs," Rick thinks out loud.

Glenn smirks a little. "Where do you plan on finding any of those? It's good here, Rick. Let's just keep to ourselves and… be quiet."

Rick looks at Glenn for a moment before turning his head to look at Daryl, Glenn also looking at him.

"What do you think?" Rick asks him.

Daryl knows what Rick is wanting from him. He wants Daryl to agree with him – and Daryl does; to a point. But he also agrees with Glenn. They've been running for so long and they've been here for a couple of months already – about three, he's pretty sure – and the longer they can all stay here, the better. The last thing they want to do is make their presence too obvious to anyone else who might be around.

"Lemme think about it?" Daryl asks and it's not the answer Rick is looking for, but he can't argue with it and he gives a nod. "'m gonna head out and do some huntin'. Carol wanted some meat tonight for dinner."

"Need anyone coming with you?" Glenn asks.

Daryl doesn't wait to shake his head. "Track better on my own. You know that."

He also doesn't want anyone else to know that he's also going to be trying to get a feeling for which way Merle had gone. He is prepared to be out there all day – as long as he gets Carol the meat before dinnertime, he knows no one will think to worry about him and he'll be able to use the hours alone to get some work done. He hasn't forgotten about his brother and he's not going to let Merle – the dream version or the real version – think that he has.

All three men turn their head when they hear footsteps and it's Beth, stepping into the block from the common room. Despite the early hour, it looks like she's been awake for hours already.

She gives them all a smile. "Axel just came in from watch and he's eating his breakfast already. It's ready for you three if you're hungry."

She turns to go back into the common room and Glenn immediately follows after her. Rick puts a hand on Daryl's shoulder, stopping him from following as well for the moment.

"I'm not saying we shoot a flare into the air and let anyone know we're here," Rick tells him.

Daryl finds himself smirking a little that. "Wasn' thinkin' that that was your plan."

"And yeah, this place has everything we need, but I don't think there's anything wrong with getting even more and just stockpiling," Rick says that. "You get that, don't you?"

Honestly, no, but Daryl doesn't say that. When you grow up, used to having nothing, it's not something you ever forget about. Daryl can live with very little and this prison, as Rick said, is a gold mine. Yeah, one day they'll run out of bars of soap and toothpaste, but the world only has so much to offer anymore with products like that. Eventually, some day, when there's nothing else left to scavenge, they're all going to have to learn how to make things on their own and in the meantime, maybe they should just stay put and be quiet for a bit longer.

He doesn't say that to Rick though. Rick won't understand that. Daryl knows it. Rick, Daryl has picked up quickly on, is the kind of man to think very much in the moment. He doesn't think five steps ahead. He sees the here and now and how to react to the situation he finds himself in that exact second. He's not thinking about what will happen when canned food or typical bottles of medicine expire. He'll think about that problem when they are faced with it. Right now, he wants to stack as many canned foods and bottles of aspirin as they can and not think of things that will be a bit more useful to them when it comes to food. Sugar and flour and honey never expires either.

And there's nothing wrong with thinking like that. They have enough problems that always need to be tackled and the sooner, the better. Thinking about things in months or years in advance won't help the family right here and now. Daryl understands that.

He just doesn't know if he completely agrees with Rick's way of thinking or not.

In the common room, there are having scrambled eggs and fruit cups. The prison kitchen stock had come with boxes and boxes of powdered eggs and along with their powdered milk, they are able to have meals that make them feel like actual people again.

"Carol says you're going out, hunting, today," Beth says after she scoops a large spoonful of eggs from the pot onto Daryl's plate. Glenn and Rick have already gotten their food and have gone to the table where Axel is, Rick asking him about watch the night before.

Daryl glances over his shoulder to them before looking back to Beth in front of him. "Special request?"

Beth smiles at that. "I'm sure whatever you get, it'll be delicious. I was actually just going to ask that, if you can and it's not too big of a pain, could you maybe be on the lookout for fruit trees?"

Daryl doesn't say anything. He just looks at her silently and Beth's cheeks noticeable blush in the growing morning light coming in through the bars.

"Georgia _is_ the peach state and I was thinking that that must mean that there are some peaches growing somewhere. If we find enough fresh fruit, Carol and I can work on canning it so we have it in the winter."

Daryl stands there and taking his fork, he shovels a helping of eggs into his mouth. "You know how to can?" He asks through a partially full mouth and it's only after he swallows does he think to be a little embarrassed. He sure as hell has never cared about manners before – or his lack of them – but somehow, standing there in front of Beth, he thinks that maybe he shouldn't talk to her while eating.

Beth doesn't seem to mind – at least, she's not acting like she does – and she nods. "My mom and I used to can all of the time. We'll need to find the right kind of jars, of course, but I think being able to have peaches in January sounds pretty good to me. Don't you think?" She asks him with a smile.

Daryl is staring at her, listening to her every word, and it takes him an embarrassingly long second before realizing that she's asked him a question. Daryl has never been the sort to get embarrassed, and now, in Beth Greene's presence, he's felt like that twice in as many minutes,

"Sounds real good to me," he agrees and Beth's smile, if possible, seems to only brighten. He swallows and gives her a nod. "I'll be on the lookout," he promises.

"Thank you so, so much, Daryl," she beams. "And remember. Don't look if it's not convenient."

For one horrifying moment, Daryl thinks she's going to hug him, but Beth leans forward and he quickly notes that it's to pick up her own plastic plate from the stack so she can get herself some breakfast. Daryl takes a step back to give her some room so he's not so in her personal space and he feels a bitter taste on his tongue that is more than familiar to him; having tasted it over one thing or another for most of his life.

Disappointment.

He honestly wishes Beth had actually hugged him.

…

Okay. If he was Merle with one less hand and had just gotten the hell out of that building where those pricks had handcuffed him to the roof, where would he go?

Daryl stands in the woods about a mile away from the prison, looking up to the sky through the branches and the leaves as if a bird is going to fly by and give him the answer.

 _Come on, Merle_ , Daryl urges his brother silently with his mind. _Give me somethin'._

Nothing though. Just the silence that is the world now. A breeze is blowing, blowing through the leaves, the birds are chirping and Daryl is getting no sense of which way he should go. Yes, there's the buck he's been tracking ever since he stepped from the prison and closed and locked the gate behind him, and a buck would give everyone plenty of meat for the next couple of days. He _should_ be following the buck – no doubt about it. And yet, Daryl is still standing in his spot, looking up towards the sky. Thinking.

With a sigh, nothing coming to him, Daryl tilts his head back towards the ground, studying it for a moment before picking up on the buck's trail a moment later. Following the buck is easy enough and he keeps his eyes open for peaches – or any other kind of fruit. Beth told him to not trouble himself and only if he sees any, but she doesn't have to know that he's actively looking if he can see any.

He tries hard to not think about why he has three things on his mind right now – his brother, this buck and fruit. And fruit really means that he's thinking about Beth. He's been thinking about her so damn much lately, it actually surprises him when something else takes place on the forefront of his brain because it seems like more times than not, Beth occupies that spot.

He doesn't know what the hell is the matter with him. This family has been together for a year now – give or take a week here and there, and they're all pretty damn used to each other by now so why is he seeing Beth Greene as if he's never seen her before? He guesses that that answer is easier than he's letting it be. He'll never forget him, Rick and Maggie getting themselves into that boiler room and seeing the scene in front of them; Lori, bloody and sweaty, but alive on the floor, Carl sitting behind her, supporting her, and a crying and bloody, but alive, baby in Lori's arms.

Daryl had taken in the scene and then had looked to Beth, bloody and sweaty herself, kneeling in front of Lori and cleaning her up as best as she could and his mind understood what he was looking at, but he hadn't been able to actually believe it. Beth Greene, Hershel's youngest daughter, had just delivered Lil' Asskicker and everyone who had come into this boiler room to escape the invasion of walkers was still alive.

Because of Beth Greene.

Before that, he'll be honest. Before that, she was just Hershel's youngest daughter or Maggie's little sister; another head to keep safe and a mouth to feed. She wasn't anything more to him than that. Part of the same family unit, but definitely nothing more.

And now, the girl is always in his thoughts. Even more terrifying than that – especially to him because this has never happened to him before – he always _wants_ her to be there. Daryl can't even understand what that means because there's never been a girl before who has interested him like that. He doesn't know what it is. He's not gay like Merle has taunted him about being more times than he could count, but he's never met any girl who can get him to watch her all of the time – with no one noticing – like Beth.

She's too young for him and he's too old for her. That goes without saying. It's wrong and he's sure Hershel and Maggie and maybe even Rick and anyone else will kick his ass for his eyes always following after Beth. Maybe they'll tell him to leave the prison and their family and the thing is that if they tell him to leave, Daryl won't put up a fight because Daryl will agree with them if that's their decision.

The whole thing – thinking about her and watching her and putting himself always in the same area as her – is just so damn wrong and yet, Daryl can't get himself to stop.

A branch breaks and Daryl instantly snaps to attention, his crossbow loaded and aimed. A walker shuffles into view, moving through the trees, and he's kicking something with his dead foot; not actively kicking it, but his foot catching it and constantly moving it forward. It looks like a red ball. Daryl squints his eyes to see what it really is. As soon as he realizes it, he fires the bolt and it sails through the air, landing in the walker's head.

Daryl hurries to go to pull his bolt back from the soft skull, but he's not looking at the dead thing, now crumbled in a heap on the woods floor. Instead, he's staring down at the red ball.

An apple. A fresh apple meaning that the tree can't be too far away.

Daryl turns in the direction the walker had been shuffling from and then looks up towards the sky, seeing exactly where the sun is.

He has a few hours until dinnertime and has to get that buck back to Carol. Hopefully, the apple tree isn't too far away from where he is now and he can find it easily, get some apples, get the buck and head back home. The buck will have to wait for now though because there's an apple tree around here somewhere and it might not be peaches, but Daryl is already imagining Beth's smile when he shows her that he's found her apples and that smile of hers in his mind is enough to leave behind the buck's trail and head off further into the woods, his feet taking him further away from the prison.

…

* * *

 **As always, thank you so, so much!**


	12. California Rolls

**I'm noticing a lot of food-oriented chapter titles... Now, it's time for Beth's rambling thoughts!**

* * *

…

 _"_ _Beth."_

Beth's head jolts up and it takes her a second to realize that she has fallen asleep. It then takes her another second before she can see and fully process that her daddy and Rick are standing, looking down to her. She puts her hands against the wall behind her and pushes herself to her feet, feeling her cheeks grow pink. She didn't mean to fall asleep on the catwalk outside of Daryl's cell and she certainly didn't mean for anyone to see her do such a thing and have to wake her up, but it's obviously too late for that.

At least her daddy and Rick aren't looking at her as if they want to ask her what the heck she's doing out here. She then wonders if she _should_ wonder why they aren't asking her that. Shouldn't they be wondering it themselves? As far as anyone knows, she and Daryl never even speak to each other and now, she's falling asleep outside of his cell, waiting for him?

"He's resting now, but you can go in and see him if you want," Rick suggests.

Beth looks to him and then her daddy, silent in her questions.

"He's alright," Hershel reads her thoughts. "Just a bit banged up."

Beth nods and does her best to squash down the gnawing guilt in the pit of her stomach. Banged up – because of _her_ ; because she had asked him to find her fruit. She shouldn't have done that. She knows how Daryl can be. Whenever someone in their family asks for something, Daryl tends to do his best to move the earth to find it for them. Lori and Carol had been talking over the winter of body pillows they had used during their pregnancies and Lori had mentioned that she would die for a body pillow again.

Two days later, Daryl had suddenly walked up to Lori and had given her a – slightly dirty – body pillow and Lori had been too stunned to even manage a "thank you" to him without stumbling all over her words. Daryl had shrugged, hadn't said a word and then had gone off to see if Rick needed him to do anything.

It's just who Daryl is and its just what Daryl does.

Beth knows that and she had sent him out there on some wild goose chase anyway. She has no idea if fruit trees are anywhere around them, but she had asked him to see if he could find any; as if that's some easy task to send him on and not a fool's errand. He had been hunting. Hunting fresh meat for dinner _tonight_ is far more important than finding fruit that she'll can and they won't eat until _months_ from now.

When the sun had begun to head down further in the west, everyone was getting worried. Daryl had been gone all day, since right after breakfast, and he still wasn't back yet. Sometimes, it took him a while to hunt, yes, but not quite this long. Beth had stood at the chain-linked fence, her fingers curled through it, and stared out at the road that led to the prison, her stomach tightening with each passing moment that he didn't come up that road again.

If anything happened to Daryl while he had been out there – _alone_ – Beth would never stop blaming herself. This family needed Daryl more than any of them; certainly more than her. And though she didn't know for certain if his looking for her fruit had caused something to happen to him, Beth was going to blame herself anyway; until he got back, safe and sound, and maybe even after that.

Rick, Glenn and Carol had set out, not wanting to wait for him to get back; wanting to find him before it got too dark outside to see much of anything in front of them.

Beth hadn't moved from her spot at the fence. She didn't care what the others thought and she didn't think of what she would say if someone came up to her to ask why she was waiting and looking so worried. Of course, everyone was worried and waiting, but Beth felt as if – somehow – it would be strange for her to be doing it over Daryl as well. After all, no one really knew that they even spoke with one another. Why would Beth be standing here, obviously so distraught and worried that he wasn't back yet?

When Rick, Glenn and Carol had come again, Daryl was with them. A small dead deer was hauled over Glenn's shoulders and Carol's shirt was folded up, holding a bundle of red apples.

And Daryl's arm was slung around Rick's shoulder and he was walking with gritted teeth, obviously bursting in pain with each step that was being taken.

"Did he say what happened?" Beth asks her daddy and Rick.

"Thank goodness apple trees aren't _that_ tall," Hershel answers with the faintest smile. "He could be a lot worse off than just a couple of bruised ribs."

"Guess he was climbing one and his foot slid clear off the branch, knocking himself down to the ground," Rick finishes and Beth nearly winces at that, having to look away.

 _Guess he was climbing one_ – because of me, Beth finishes silently to herself. Daryl getting hurt _is_ her fault, all because of her selfish want for fresh fruit.

Beth shakes her head and takes a step back. "I need to go help Carol in the kitchen with dinner and I don't want to disturb him when he's resting."

"He's asked to see you," Rick said before she could turn and hurry down the stairs.

Those words stop Beth, her body completely still, and she looks at the two men standing in front of her. She honestly doesn't know what she had been expecting as far as reactions go, but both men look as if they're biting back smiles and Beth definitely hadn't been expecting _that_. A barrage of questions? Yes. Thinly veiled disapproval? Absolutely. But looking as if they're wanting to smile, but trying to stop themselves from doing so? Definitely not.

Beth looks at them for another moment before looking towards Daryl's cell and without another word or look to her daddy and Rick, Beth takes slow steps into the cell. It's dark except for a candle flickering on his desk and she stops for a moment.

Hollywood has never gotten this right, Beth has learned since everything in the world came to a screeching halt. In the movies, when a character lights a candle, it always lights the entire room. That's far from the truth. A single candle lit leaves much of room still in complete darkness and it takes Beth a moment to focus her eyes and see Daryl's body on his bed.

"Hey," he grunts, his eyes closed, but they open slowly to look right at her.

"Hi," she replies softly, her eyes glancing back towards the cell door, but her daddy and Rick have left.

She would love to be able to read their minds right now and she wonders if they're telling anyone else anything. What would they tell? That Beth is in Daryl's cell because he has asked to see her? That would open a can of questions that she knows that _no one_ – including herself or Daryl – can answer.

"I am so sorry, Daryl," she then blurts out.

Daryl doesn't answer right away and his eyes seem heavy and her being there, he's forcing them to stay open. Beth needs to let him rest. He definitely deserves it.

"Where you goin'?" He asks just as Beth moves back towards the cell door.

Beth turns back towards the cell and the bed and in the candle's flicker, she sees his eyes open again.

"You need to rest," Beth tells him, but she moves back towards the bed anyway.

This time, Daryl is able to look up at her without looking like he's seconds away from slipping into sleep. "Why you apologizin' to me?"

She takes a deep breath, feeling herself beginning to get upset and that's the last thing she wants to be right now; at least not in front of Daryl.

"Because I asked you to look for fruit and you fell out of a tree, doing that," Beth says and her voice sounds shaky and she forces herself to take a deep breath.

Daryl doesn't say anything to that. He shifts on the paper-thin mattress, wincing a little as he does, and Beth kneels down on the floor next to the bed. She adjusts the two pillows behind him and then makes sure the blankets are covering him, but Daryl grumbles and begins to push them off.

"Daryl, stop," Beth frowns at him sternly. "You need to rest."

"Beth, stop," he echoes. "You wrappin' me up like I'm a piece of damn sushi. I ain't sick," he matches her frown with one of his own and shoves the blankets down to his waist.

"When have you ever even seen sushi, Daryl Dixon?" Beth finds herself almost smiling at the idea of Daryl sitting at a sushi bar somewhere, eating California rolls with chopsticks.

"You tellin' me I ain't fancy enough for sushi?" He asks and she can tell he's trying to keep his face blank and the fact that she can seem him trying not to smile, it makes her begin to smile, too.

"I just can't imagine you eating anything with chopsticks," she admits. "Have you?"

"I never understood eatin' noodles with two sticks," Daryl then says, almost as if he's thinking it out loud, and Beth lets out a burst of laughter before slapping a hand over her mouth. Daryl looks at her, seeing her trying to keep herself from laughing more and he begins to smile more himself. "There it is," he says softly, looking at her smile, and Beth finds her cheeks growing hot.

"Thank you for the apples you found," Beth tells him, finding her voice not much louder than a whisper.

"Don't think I would 'ave come back until I found some fruit to bring to you," he tells her and his voice is low and quiet, too.

"Daryl…" she begins to say, but she has nothing more to say than that.

Her heart is hammering so fast in her chest, it's all she can hear in her ears and she doesn't doubt that Daryl is probably able to hear it, too.

Does this even make sense? She wakes up one morning and a man who has been in her life for the past year is suddenly a man she actually _sees_. And he seems to see her, too. At least, that's what Lori says and Lori has been so quiet, taking care of Anne, Beth doesn't doubt that Lori has seen a lot more lately than the others. And just now, neither Rick nor her daddy seemed surprised whatsoever when Daryl asked to see her in here. Oscar, that night they were out together and he found them, for some reason had just smiled and didn't seem to think anything odd of it. And even Maggie with all her over-protective act had been teasing Beth like any sister would be teasing another sister about having a "boy" in her room.

Does everyone see it?

Does Daryl?

Beth wants to see it so badly, but she doesn't want to see something that's just completely imaginary. It can't be though; not if everyone else is already acting like anything happening between the two of them is just what's supposed to happen.

"What are you thinkin' 'bout?" Daryl asks her then, his voice still quiet and gruff and her cheeks aren't the only warm part of her now.

Just with him looking at her, she feels like he's wrapped a blanket around her while handing her a steaming mug of hot chocolate. She feels warm from the inside out.

She wonders…

No. No more wondering.

She and their entire family can't be wrong. They all can't be seeing something that's not real. And it being real is all Beth wants in this world. More than anything. This prison is good and safe and Beth wants it to always be that way – with everyone inside being good and safe, too – but right now, there's something that Beth wants even more than all of that.

It's almost funny – in a very dark way. If Daryl hadn't fallen from that tree, if she hadn't asked for fresh fruit of all things, she wouldn't be here, right now, kneeling at his bedside, talking about sushi of all things and not wanting to be anywhere else in the world.

She can be brave. She _is_ brave. She delivered Anne. She's killed walkers. She yelled right back to Daryl when he yelled at her. She's just as brave as any of the rest of them; just as brave as Daryl.

Maybe even braver than Daryl.

And she knows there's only way to prove that to herself.

"Beth," Daryl says her name, but that's all he says as Beth pushes herself up on her knees, leans into him and presses her lips firmly to his.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review! This chapter is a bit shorter, but it serves as a halfway point. In S3, Glenn and Maggie get kidnapped and taken back to Woodbury. In this AU S3, that will be Beth and Daryl and we're almost to that point. Thank you again!**


	13. Cracked Leather and Cotton Balls

…

"As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black _hissed_ , pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons," Maggie reads the last sentence and then closes the book.

For a moment, no one speaks.

"What?" Carl suddenly exclaims and then whips his head to Oscar. "You don't have the other books? After that, you don't have the others?"

Oscar takes the book from Maggie and flips to the back pages. "I wasn't in charge of the books," he defends himself. "We can always go out and find the others."

"I don't think he ever finished the series," Beth says.

"What?" Carl exclaims again. "What do you mean he didn't finish it?"

The others try not to smile at the obviously distraught boy.

"I think Beth's right," Maggie says. "Not that I was ever into it, but friends at college were. I think there were… four more? Maybe three? I think. I know guys were bitching that the author wasn't writing fast enough. I don't think it will be hard to find the other books. They were pretty popular."

"Was plannin' on goin' on another run in a few days. Rick wanted to look for some things," Daryl takes his turn to speak up. He looks to Carl. "I'll keep an eye out for you," he then promises.

Carl doesn't say anything to that, having taken the book from Oscar and now flipping through it himself, but he gives a nod to let Daryl know that he's heard him.

Beth looks to Carl for a moment and then to Daryl. Daryl can't be exactly sure what she's thinking, but he can make a pretty good guess.

It's surprising, he's not going to lie. First, when Hershel and Rick had been in his cell and Rick had mentioned that Beth was sitting outside, Daryl had looked and neither of the men had seemed too surprised that Beth would be doing that and neither made a move to ask him as to _why_ she was sitting outside his cell. And then, when Daryl had asked them both if she could come in to see him, again, neither were surprised by his asking.

Daryl's never been an in-your-face kind of guy. Growing up with Will Dixon as his old man, it was survival learned quickly by Daryl to be damn-near invisible at all times. And yeah, at times, with this group, he's been known to have his moments of angry outbursts, but he still manages to keep everything about him to himself. And he's surprised by the complete lack of surprise by everyone else in regards to him and Beth. It makes him wonder just how damn obvious he's been, watching after this girl when he had thought he had been acting all damn stealth about it.

After the kiss in his cell and another later that night when Daryl had stopped by her cell to wish her a good night, he doesn't think that he and Beth have been acting any differently – either individually or around each other. It's not like they're holding hands or they're constantly kissing each other. When they do kiss – nothing more really than pecks – they do it when it's practically dark around them and no one else is near them to see it. Still, the family all seems to know if the _non_ -reaction they've been given is anything to go by. Not even Maggie has cornered him and threatened him with castration.

Has he really changed that much? Does this family really think that highly of him where they all know that they don't have to warn Daryl about not hurting Beth, knowing that he'd rather off himself than do that?

Daryl wonders if Beth wants something more than what they're doing – which isn't much of anything - but for now, she hasn't told him that she does. And Daryl's not going to lie. He's relieved about that. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing and he'd rather prefer it if they could move at a snail's pace; as long as Beth doesn't care.

The only one who has been acting "off" about the whole thing isn't Hershel or Maggie or even Carol.

It's Carl.

His crush on Beth hasn't been a secret to any of them and since Beth and Daryl have become something more than _just_ Beth and Daryl, Carl has been ignoring them more times than not. He's not talking to either of them and he's going out of his way to never being around either of them for more time than is necessary. Daryl had seen the way Beth's face had lit up when Carl had come into the library that afternoon for book club and she hadn't minded at all when he had purposely sat down on the floor between Maggie and Oscar, having always used to sit right next to Beth.

And now, that the time has passed and they've finally finished the book they started last week, they all stand up, stretching and talking about the things they have to go off and do.

Beth hugs the book to her chest and goes to return it to the shelf where they first found it and Maggie and Oscar head out of the library, talking about the wild horse they've all seen the field outside their fence more than once now and Maggie is talking about maybe trying to break it in.

"Hey," Daryl says to Carl before the boy can follow them and Daryl's surprised when Carl actually stops. Daryl does a quick glance over his shoulder to see that Beth is still somewhere in the stacks before he looks back to Carl and takes a step towards him. "I just wanted to tell you that 'm sorry," he tells the boy.

Carl looks up at him and doesn't say a word, but Daryl can see the slight clenching in the boy's jaw.

"I really like her and I promise to you that 'm gonna take care of her," Daryl says, his words quietly said, but his tone anything, but soft.

He means it, too. He really does. If he didn't, he would have said it out loud. It's as simple as that in his mind. Daryl always says what he's thinking and has never been one to talk just to talk.

And Carl must know that because after a moment, he exhales a breath and his shoulders relax.

"I know you will," Carl gives a nod. "And I know I shouldn't be surprised."

"Why not?" Daryl can't help, but ask.

Carl gives a little smile that looks so much like that smirk Rick gives when he finds something funny and he doesn't understand why no one else does. "Because you have a _crossbow_ , Daryl. Girls go crazy for crossbows."

Daryl can't help, but snicker a little at that. "They do, huh? What girls do we know that have gone crazy for it?" It's not like they're surrounded with a group of different people every day.

"I heard Andrea talk about it a few times."

Andrea.

Daryl feels like he hasn't heard that name in a long time and he guesses that that's because he hasn't.

It's like Sophia or T-Dog or even Shane. They all think about them, but they don't talk about them. It's just an unspoken agreement between everyone still alive in their family. Those people matter and always will, but talking about them doesn't do anything for anyone. There's just too much death all of the time to always let themselves get weighed down it. It's really the only way any of them can get through the days.

"Well," Daryl pauses to clear his throat, not sure what to say to that. "Still. Jus' wanted to talk with you, man-to-man, and give you my word."

He notices the way Carl's chest puffs out a bit at that.

"Thanks, Daryl," Carl gives him a smile before turning and leaving the library, a little bounce in his step.

Daryl turns towards the stacks. "You done eavesdroppin'?" He asks.

Beth steps out from the shadows, her mouth falling open as if he's deeply offended her, and he smirks.

"I would _never_ eavesdrop on a private conversation between men," Beth tells him and he just keeps smirking.

She seems to pause for a moment before stepping closer to him; as if she's not sure whether she should or not. Daryl takes a step closer to her so she knows that she can be closer to him. He wants her to be.

The space closes between them until their toes are nearly touching and Beth has to tilt her chin up for her eyes able to look into his. She gives him a soft smile and Daryl thinks he gives her one in return – he's actually not sure if his lips manage it or not – but he likes to think that he smiles at her like she smiles at him. But if he doesn't, he knows that Beth won't mind. He's noticed that few things actually seem to bother Beth. He's never met anyone like her. She just gets people. She's able to look at a person and know them and _understand_ them without them having to pour out every single thing about themselves to her.

If the world hadn't ended and the girl hadn't made a career for herself, reading books on tape, Daryl doesn't doubt that she'd be able to be one of those people doctors; the ones where people go and bitch all of their problems to while lying on some leather couch.

If Daryl isn't able to give her a smile, it's not because he doesn't want to. And Beth gets that. He _wants_ to smile at her. He's just not used to smiling. And Beth gets that, too.

"It was very nice of you to do that," Beth says in a quiet voice. "I know Carl really appreciated it, too, even if he doesn't understand that he appreciated it."

Daryl gives his head a little shake. "We're family. 's important we don't hate each other over stupid things."

"Stupid?" Beth raises an eyebrow at that. "Like this thing between us?"

"No," Daryl answers quickly and shakes his head more. "No, Beth. This thing ain't stupid and I wasn' talkin' about it and meanin' to call it…" he trails off when he sees Beth's lips turning upwards into a smile; obviously at his expense. He gives her a frown. "Don't be teasin' me," he then grumbles.

Beth laughs then. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to tease you, I promise," she says, but she's still laughing.

She then pushes herself up on her toes and her lips find his. She means the kiss to be a short one; a peck like the others they have already shared, but Daryl decides right then and there that he wants something a little more. He lifts his hands to either side of her head, framing her head, and he kisses her back. Beth is surprised for just a moment since Daryl hasn't done this before, but then, she quickly seems to sink into it, her body relaxing against his and her hands finding a resting place on his arms.

She slowly lowers herself back to the flats of her feet and Daryl keeps his lips on hers, bending down to make it so. He never would have thought he would like this – kissing – and he thinks he probably wouldn't if he was going to be kissing anyone other than Beth.

There's just something about it; _her_. Her lips are soft and Daryl isn't one for cheesy thoughts, but it's honestly how kissing a cotton ball would feel like. Soft. Kissing puffs of cotton and kissing Beth's lips have to be the same. It then makes him wonder how his lips feel to her. Probably like cracked leather and he can't imagine that feels good to her. But she keeps kissing him so Daryl's not going to question it.

Maybe this girl likes cracked leather like he likes cotton balls.

Cracked leather and cotton balls. A hell of a combination if he's ever heard of one.

…

"I don't know, Bethy…" Hershel is saying as Daryl steps into the common room from outside, Rick with him.

Beth, Hershel, Maggie and Glenn are all sitting at one of the tables together and Daryl thinks it might be a Greene family meeting. It's not the first one those four have had together about this or that. But this time, Hershel looks over to see Daryl enter and he cocks his head ever so slightly to the side.

Daryl glances back to Rick over his shoulder and Rick gives him a little smile.

"Don't think he was inviting me," Rick tells him.

Daryl feels his ears turn pink at that and looking back to the table, he takes slow steps forward towards it.

"Please, daddy. I don't see why it should be such a big deal," Beth says; sounding borderline begging.

Daryl stands nearby. He doesn't approach the table fully and he sure as hell doesn't sit down, but he stands close enough for Hershel to see him. Beth glances over her shoulder to see him standing there before looking back to Hershel.

"It's dangerous, Beth," Maggie speaks up.

Beth exhales a deep breath. "I know it is, but if you don't think I can handle it, why can't you just say that?"

"Because no one is saying that," Glenn says. "We're just stating a fact about it being dangerous."

"Well, you telling me that all of the time, is it your way of stating a fact that I'm not strong enough to go out there?" Beth asks, making sure she looks at all of them – including Daryl.

Daryl makes sure he keeps his face blank. This isn't his call and he's not even sure if it's his business or not. He knows he and Beth are Daryl _and_ Beth now, but that doesn't mean he has any kind of call with this. Does he want Beth going out there, outside of the fences? Hell. No. But if his old man decides she can go? What is he going to say? He doesn't have any say in anything Beth does. He's not her dad or her sister. He's just…

"What do you think, Daryl?" Hershel asks, breaking through his thoughts.

Beth is looking at him, waiting for his opinion, and Daryl wonders if he looks nervous because right now, his stomach is twisting itself into a knot as if he is.

He swallows before answering. "If you need somethin', I can look for it next time I'm out there."

Beth narrows her eyes at him and her jaw clenches and shit. That was the completely wrong thing to say. He doesn't have to be any kind of genius to know that. He just needs a somewhat-working brain in his skull for him to know that what he just said should have been the absolute _last_ thing he ever say to Beth.

She spins her head away to look at her dad, sister and Glenn and then, without a word, she leaves the table, storming from the common room and going outside, the door slamming shut behind her.

Daryl remains standing there, watching her go, and he then sees Maggie starting to get to her feet.

"I'll go to her," Daryl stops her.

"You sure?" Maggie asks. "She may look small, but she's got a temper on her like you wouldn't believe."

He knows she's got a temper on her – he's already seen that directed towards him once before – but he thinks that what he said to her before is way worse than what he's said to her now. Beth yelling at him can't be as bad as that.

"I'll let her yell at me if that's what she wants to do."

"Daryl," Hershel says, grabbing his crutches and then standing up from the table, carrying himself away towards the door, but not going outside, and Daryl goes to stand with him. "Beth really wants to go on a run," he then says as if Daryl doesn't already know that.

"Want me to talk her out of it?" Daryl then wonders because he has no idea what he's supposed to do.

He hadn't know that Beth kissing him that first time would have him here, right now, talking with her dad about her as if he has any say whatsoever in what Beth does. He's just a guy. He's not married to her. He doesn't even think he's what Glenn is to Maggie. He doesn't think so anyway.

Hershel pauses to think that over. "I don't think so," he answers. "I can't treat her like glass. It's not fair to her or Maggie. If I treat Beth like that, why don't I do that to Maggie? Why is it fine for me to send Maggie out there and keep Beth back?"

He's asking questions, but Daryl knows that Hershel doesn't expect him to answer; which is good for him because Daryl has no idea how he would answer any of those questions.

Outside, he sees Beth and Lori standing on the blacktop together, Lori saying something as Beth holds Anne in her arms. That's good for him, Daryl thinks, that Beth's holding a baby in her arms. Can't try to smack him if she's holding a baby. Not that he actually thinks Beth would ever get violent with him, but he has to think of earlier life experiences with people and being mad.

Both Beth and Lori turn their heads when Daryl nears them and Lori gives him a smile. Beth gives Anne a kiss on her head before passing her back into Lori's arms.

"Hi, Daryl," Lori greets him.

"Hey," he dips his head towards her. "Hey, Lil' Asskicker," he then says to Anne and the baby smiles up at him from behind her pacifier, making Daryl smile a little, too.

Lori laughs softly and heads back towards the door of their cell block, leaving Daryl and Beth alone. Beth looks to him and Daryl wonders how the hell he got in this position; the "I'm here to listen if you need to bitch to me" position.

Beth doesn't say anything though. He notes that she's taking deep inhale and exhales, tucking hair loose from her ponytail behind her ears.

"If you wanna go, I'm gonna go with you," Daryl tells her, breaking the silence.

He doesn't know why this is so important to her. He just knows that it is. And if it's so important to her, he's going to make it important to him, too.

She is quiet for another moment. "Really?"

"Yeah," Daryl nods. "If you really wanna go."

"I really want to go on a run," she says with pause.

Daryl looks at her and gives a nod. "Then we'll go on a run."

…

* * *

 **The run! I was going to watch S3 to refresh my memory, but then I decided not to. I don't want to write an _exact_ replica of S3 (obviously) so there will be some similarities, but I'm putting my own spin on things. Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to review!**


	14. Outside Perspective

…

There wasn't some huge announcement or discussion when it happened; not that Lori, or any of them, was expecting something like that.

The morning after Rick, Glenn and Carol helped Daryl back to the prison after he fell from that apple tree, Lori sits in the cell block common room, at the table in the back that is even with the door that leads into the block. She had already given Anne a fresh diaper and breastfed her in their cell before coming out for breakfast and she now eats a bowl of (slightly) stale Corn Pops and smiles as she looks at Carl, sitting at the table with her with his baby sister in his arms.

Carl is at that awful age. Puberty; still a boy, but growing into a man and things in his body are causing havoc and there's nothing that can be done except go through it; and nothing any of them can do except get through it while doing their best to remember that Carl is at _that_ age. Lori remembers being a girl in the throes of puberty. She couldn't believe her mom didn't just stop talking to her when she was thirteen until she turned eighteen.

Is it premature to already be dreading Anne when she begins going through puberty?

During the winter, Carl had barely spoken to her. He was far from being a stupid boy and he could sense the cold anger coming from Rick in regards to his wife and Carl had chosen his father's side. After the boiler room though, and after Anne being born safely, Carl has stopped his silent treatment towards her. He now eats breakfast with his mom and baby sister every morning and comes to hug and kiss her goodnight every night. Lori wonders if Carl has any idea how much that means to her. She has her daughter, yes, but she has a son, too, and this world is awful enough without losing him to something between his father and her that he wouldn't understand.

Speaking of the father…

Rick approaches their table and smiles when he looks to Carl and Anne. That smile fades a bit when he then looks to Lori, but it doesn't disappear completely. Lori gives him a small smile in return.

She misses him so much, some nights, when everyone else is asleep, Lori will stick her head beneath the blankets in an attempt to muffle herself while she cries. She cries so much, her stomach and heart both ache, but in the light of day, she never reveals it to anyone and no one has any idea. She's busy enough with taking care of Anne and focusing all of her attention on being with her, it's very easy most times for Lori to pretend that she doesn't cry at all and that she still doesn't love this man currently standing across from her.

"Mind if I sit?" Rick asks.

Lori looks to the empty seat at the table before back to him. "Of course not," she shakes her head.

Rick gives her that small smile and she gives him her own as he settles down across from her with his own bowl of cereal and cup of coffee. Bags of coffee had been in the commissary that prisoners had been able to buy with their own money and when they found the large room still stock-piled with all of the commissary items, everyone had acted like they found gold – if gold still mattered – when they laid eyes upon their massive coffee supply now.

Lori still can't drink it though; not while she's breast-feeding Anne and she pretends that she doesn't miss it each morning when she smells the fresh pot brewing for everyone else.

She's pretending so many things these days.

"I'm making plans for a run soon," Rick breaks the silence and Lori has been watching Carl with Anne, the baby trying to suck on Carl's finger, smiling, before looking to Rick when he speaks. "Do you or Anne need us to be on the lookout for anything?" He asks, his eyes focused on her and she has almost forgotten how intense her husband's stare can be when focused on her.

Husband. Is that right? It's not like there's divorce anymore and they both still wear their wedding rings, but does Rick consider her his wife still? She doesn't want to ask. There's no way she's ready to hear whatever his answer to that would be. She's still hormonal and will cry no matter what he says if she asks.

"Clothes for her, as always," Lori answers.

Rick smiles as he looks to the baby. "She's growing like a weed," he comments.

"Yes, she is," Lori smiles, looking to Anne, too; proud of that fact.

Her baby is here, alive and healthy and growing bigger with each day.

From the corner of her eye, she can see someone coming down the stairs in the cellblock and turning her head, Lori sees that it's Daryl. She hadn't expected to see him out of bed this morning considering how sore and banged up they had found him the night before, but she's certainly not surprised to see him awake and moving about already. Knowing and living with Daryl Dixon for this long has taught her one thing and that's no one can keep Daryl down except Daryl.

He is dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt and his crossbow is on his back. At the bottom of the stairs, he seems to hesitate, his hand holding onto the crossbow strap across his chest, and he glances towards the cells before down to the ground. Lori wonders what thoughts are in his mind right now because it's obvious to her that the man is thinking _something_.

He then lifts his head again and takes a visible deep breath. He goes towards the cells; specifically, _Beth's_ cell.

Lori can't help, but sit up a little. _That_ is very interesting.

She and Beth have been spending more time together and Lori isn't going to lie to herself. She likes it very much. Besides Anne, Lori doesn't have that many people to talk to. There's Carol, of course, but Carol is busy every day just like everyone else and Lori thinks there actually might be something brewing between Carol and Axel. Lori means to ask Carol about it, but there's just never a good time to tease her friend.

Beth is young, yes, but that's in age. She has been through just as much as any of them and her eyes have grown older as a result. She's still sweet – almost painfully so – and she is a very "half glass full" kind of girl, no matter what they experience and see, but Lori finds that she needs optimism like that in her life right now. And for Beth, she needs someone to talk to, too. There's her sister, yes, but Maggie is busy with her own life and with her relationship with Glenn, that is only getting more intense and everyone is silently wondering what a wedding in this new world would be like.

Beth and Lori can talk to each other and confide in one another in ways that they can't do with anyone else. And what she told Beth a few days before about Daryl, she hadn't been lying and she hadn't been imagining it either. Daryl Dixon has definitely been stealing glances at Beth Greene for the past few weeks now. He's very subtle about it and no one else has noticed – at least Lori thinks no one else has noticed – and the only reason that she has is because she is so busy with taking care of Anne, they all think she can't do anything else. They seem to think that when she's in a room, she's _only_ looking to Anne and no one else.

Lori is not going to lie. Yes, Daryl is older than Beth by quite a few years. Beth isn't eighteen yet – a couple more months, according to Beth – and Daryl is somewhere in his early thirties and if the world hadn't ended, this would have been a "Hell No" from everyone. But the world _has_ ended and yes, they are all determined to keep rules in place – or else they're no different than the brain-dead walkers stumbling around – but Lori, and she hopes everyone else will agree with her, thinks that this isn't like some older man taking advantage of a young girl. Lori thinks, and she hopes everyone else will agree with her, that yes, while Daryl is older in actual years of _age_ , he and Beth almost seem to be the same age in other ways.

Daryl's not stupid. A person who can hunt and track animals as well as Daryl can is not a stupid person. But there's almost a young quality to him; like he's still a young boy in many aspects. As young as Beth. Lori wonders if she's the only one who has noticed that about him or have they all been living on top of each other for so long, everyone notices everything about one another now?

Lori watches as Daryl takes a step back as Beth steps from her cell, standing in front of Daryl and looking up at him with a small smile on her face; shy and happy. It makes Lori smile when she looks at the two. Daryl is looking down to the ground, almost as if he's too shy to meet Beth's eyes, but then Beth says something and standing on her toes, she presses a soft kiss to Daryl's cheek.

Lori smiles as she looks away, doing her best to ignore the pang in her chest as she thinks of a young Rick coming to pick her up at her door for a date and acting shy, too.

"Was wondering about that," Rick then muses quietly and Lori lifts her eyes to look at him.

"Were you?" Lori asks.

He smiles a little and nods, pausing to spoon another bite of cereal into his mouth. "They weren't being obvious, but at the same time, they kind of were."

Lori can't stop from smiling at that, almost letting out a laugh, and she nods in agreement.

Beth and Daryl enter the common room – Beth first and Daryl behind her and they both go to get their bowls of cereal and cups of coffee. Beth pauses, looking back to Daryl over her shoulder, but she doesn't ask him anything. She then looks, seeing the table where her daddy is sitting, and she pauses for just a moment before going to go sit with him, Hershel greeting her with a warm smile and "Good morning, Bethy".

Now, it's Daryl's turn.

He turns and his eyes take in everyone in the common room and where they're sitting within seconds. Beth is trying to keep herself from looking at him, but Lori notices. Rick does, too. Lori looks around the common room. It dawns on her that _everyone_ is watching the two of them while trying to act like they're not watching anything at all.

Gripping his cereal bowl and coffee cup, Daryl looks to Beth sitting with Hershel and he takes a deep breath. He then goes to the table and sits down with the two of them and Beth instantly smiles at him, brimming with happiness. Hershel smiles, too, and says, "Good morning, Daryl" to him now.

Lori smiles, pleased that Daryl had done it, and her eyes meet Rick's. He's smiling, too, and even when they look at one another, Rick and Lori keep on smiling.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to comment!**


	15. A Wings Jukebox

**I had hoped to write and update this chapter on _Monday_ , but *sigh*. Better late than never, right?**

* * *

…

"List," Carol says as she comes to Daryl, holding out a piece of paper.

Daryl takes it and unfolding it, his eyes scan down what Carol has written down. The lists they make for runs are much like Christmas lists kids write to Santa. They can ask for anything; that doesn't mean they'll get it. Carol's list is mostly food things she has noticed either the kitchen doesn't already have or they're running low on. Carol has been working on a way to ration their food, but still, they're a good-sized group that needs to eat at least one big meal a day. That adds up to a lot of food. Daryl doesn't ask her how they'll manage it. He knows that somehow, they will. They always seem to.

"Cake mixes?" Daryl lists his eyes to look back to Carol at that one.

She smiles. "Ask Beth what kind of cake she prefers. It's for her. She'll be turning eighteen soon."

Daryl can't help, but cringe a little. It's not like Beth is _so_ young; she's seventeen, closer to eighteen than she is to sixteen, but still, just being reminded of how damn young she is when compared to him, Daryl can't help it. He feels like he needs to take a damn shower and scour his skin with burning hot water for being some damn perverted old man.

"Don't you need eggs for these mixes?" Daryl asks even though he'd rather change the subject completely.

"We do, but I'll figure it out. If you can find one, I'll bake it," Carol says.

Daryl doesn't say anything to that and nodding, he folds and put the piece of paper into his back pocket.

Outside, the family has gathered at the car to see Daryl and Beth off. Maggie is hugging Beth so tightly, Daryl has to wonder if Beth can actually breathe or not. He goes to the back hatch and looks over the supplies Rick and Oscar have loaded for the two to take with them – just in case. Another container of gas, bottles of water and a couple of blankets as well as a box of matches. The run was planned to just take today with them returning later, before dinner, but every one of them knows that absolutely anything can happen out there and it's best to be prepared for that anything.

"I'll be fine, Maggie," Beth is saying, her voice muffled by Maggie's shoulder, but Maggie keeps hugging her.

"Look good?" Daryl asks Axel once he has slammed the hood of the car.

"Good to go," Axel nods, wiping his hands on a rag.

"List," Rick says, handing Daryl another piece of paper.

Weapons, construction materials, more bleach, another pair of boots for Carl if they can find them, a bunch of baby stuff for Anne. All usual stuff.

Daryl nods, slipping the list into his back pocket to join Carol's. "We're not going far," Daryl tells him. "Just to the next town over or there about. The prison town is pretty much picked-over and I think the next town is the one with the grocery store."

"Be careful," Rick tells him though he knows Daryl is the last person he needs to say that to. "Scope it out and if there's too many, we'll come back to it another day when there's more of us."

Daryl nods in agreement and then looks back to Beth. Maggie has finally let her go, but now it looks like it's Lori's turn, the woman now the one to be hugging Beth tightly. Daryl doesn't mean to be, but he's actually a little insulted as he watches the scene. They're acting like Beth's going outside of the prison walls alone and she'll have no one with her to watch her back. They all know and if they don't, they damn well better.

Daryl would die if it meant keeping Beth safe. He's not going to let a single thing happen to her.

He knows Beth is special – even if she, herself, doesn't see it. But that's exactly what she is. She's the one who has scrubbed this prison from top to bottom, to paint the cells and clean the windows so the sunshine pours in. She's the one who has worked her ass off to make this prison more than just a concrete fortress. She's made it a home for all of them and isn't that what they've been searching for since the farm? Some place, safe and secure, that they can lay their head down in and still feel alive and human?

It's because of Beth that they can do this here. If anything happens to her and she doesn't come back, Daryl knows that a dark cloud would settle over this place and nothing would ever be able to lift it again.

Hershel approaches Daryl on his crutches, chuckling a little. "I don't have a list for you, but if you find any more of those Little Debbie brownies…" he is smiling and his eyes are twinkling.

Daryl smiles a little, too. "No problem," he nods and Hershel claps a hand onto his shoulder.

He expects Hershel to say something more than that, but Hershel just gives him a smile and turns to go back to Beth, now taking his turn to hug her. Daryl finds himself a bit relieved that Hershel _hadn't_ said anything else to him, he admits, but it wouldn't surprise Daryl if Hershel already knows what Daryl thinks everyone else should know, too.

If something happens and it comes down to just one of them coming back alive, Beth will be coming back through these gates alone.

…

"Can I roll down the window?" Beth asks after they have been driving for about fifteen minutes.

Daryl doesn't answer. He hits the button himself so her window rolls down and Beth gives him that pretty smile of hers before turning her head, sticking it out the window along with one of her arms.

"Careful," Daryl can't help, but say. "Gonna be hard to explain to your pops and sister if I have to go back to the prison, explain' how you got decapitated."

Beth laughs at that – as if losing her head is something funny – and she pulls it back into the car, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears. She's wearing it up in a ponytail today and he's not going to tell her this, but he likes when she wears her hair up. He likes looking at her pale neck and the fragile slope of it. It just reminds him that every damn thing about Beth is fragile – though he'd bite his tongue off before he tell her that. He would expect her to give him a tongue lashing for even _thinking_ that she's fragile.

"I've forgotten how good the wind can feel on my face," Beth smiles, getting herself settled into her seat and rolling the window up a bit again so not so much wind is rushing into the car. "Sometimes, cleaning all day, I feel like I never even feel a breeze."

"You work yourself too hard," Daryl tells her before he can't.

He's not surprised when Beth rolls her eyes.

"That's a stupid thing to say," she informs him. "Do you say the same thing to Lori or Carol?"

Daryl pauses and then shakes his head. "I ain't walkin' into this one," he then decides and Beth laughs. When she does, he throws her a small smile before putting his eyes back on the road.

They are quiet, Daryl concentrating on the road, the occasional tree branch or walker in the way that he has to drive around, and Beth rests her head on her seat, turned towards the window, her eyes closed and smiling as she feels the sun shining on her and the breeze against her skin.

She then begins humming. Daryl glances to her, but her eyes are still closed. Her lips are turned into the smallest smile and Daryl looks forward again.

"Can you sing somethin'?" He asks.

Beth opens her eyes, turning her head to him. "Any requests?"

"Like a jukebox?" He jokes and she smiles, nodding. He thinks that over. "I got Wings stuck in my head for some reason," he then admits with a smirk and shake of his head.

Beth just keeps smiling though. "I really only know one of their songs…"

" _You gave me something, I understand._

 _You gave me loving in the palm of my hand._

 _I can't tell you how I feel,_

 _My heart is like a wheel._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you._

 _I want to tell you,_

 _And now's the time._

 _I want to tell you that you're going to be mine._

 _I can't tell you how I feel,_

 _My heart is like a wheel._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you."_

When she sings the last line in the song, Daryl glances to her and gives her a small smile.

"Good?" She asks with her own smile.

Daryl nods. "'s better than good."

With his eyes on the road, Beth leans across the center console and her lips find his cheek, kissing him gently.

"First stop comin' up," Daryl tells her.

Beth sits back in her seat and looks ahead through the windshield to where he's taking them first.

He's driving nearer to what looks like any nondescript office building and when Beth sees the simple storefront, she looks to Daryl curiously with the slightest furrow in her brow.

Daryl smiles a little. "You'll see," he says, almost promising. "Now, when we get out, what are we gonna do?"

"My knife is out and you're going to sweep. And then, at the door, I'm going to knock and we'll wait to see if there's anything inside. Once we open the door, you go in first and I follow," Beth recites the plan he's all but drilled in her hand over the past couple of days since it was decided Beth would come on a run.

"Good girl," he says before he can think otherwise, but when he sees Beth smile at that – her cheeks looking a little pink – Daryl is glad to see that he hasn't screwed up.

He stops the car and Beth waits as he grabs his crossbow, already loaded, and once he's out, she gets out, too. It's quiet all around them; not that Daryl was expecting anything different. Just birds chirping and nothing else. Even after all of this time, the kind of quiet the world is now, it still takes getting used to.

Daryl does a quick scan and then looks to Beth. She's following him to the office door, her eyes watching everything around her as well. When her eyes meet his and she sees that he's watching her, she smiles at him and Daryl's lips twitch upwards – not in a complete smile; now is not the time to smile.

He cocks his head towards the front door of the building and Beth nods, following him to the front glass door. The name of the office is printed on the door, but it's a company he's never heard of before and he has no idea what they used to do here, but he wants to go in anyway. Glenn had told him about offices he used to deliver pizzas to during lunch hours and he remembered all of the stuff that was in there; stuff people wouldn't even think of being in a random office building while out scavenging.

He looks to Beth and gives her a nod, readying his stance and crossbow, and Beth seems to take a deep breath before raising the handle of her knife to the glass door, knocking onto it heavily. They then wait.

After a minute or so and hearing nothing except birds, Beth looks to Daryl and he waits another moment before giving her a nod. She pulls the handle. Locked. Daryl takes a step back to begin looking over the front of the building, to see if there's another way to enter, but he looks back to Beth when he sees her kneel. She reaches into the pocket of her jeans and pulls out a bobby pin and after looking at the lock for a moment, she begins to pick it.

"What are you doin'?" He asks even though it's obvious. He just can't quite believe that Beth Greene is the one to be doing it.

Beth smiles a little without looking at him, still concentrating on the lock. "I had an older brother and sister who were terrible influences on me."

Daryl smirks a little at that and divides his attention between watching her and keeping watch to make sure no walkers, or another person, comes up on them. His eyes fly back to Beth when he hears the distinct click and Beth looks to him with a triumphant smile; one he has no trouble returning.

He enters the office first with Beth right behind him. It's musty inside and hot from the sun pouring in through the front windows, having no way of escaping. It's obvious that this place has been locked up since the beginning and that's only good for them. The office is silent and deserted and Daryl turns back to Beth.

"Anythin' you think we need," he tells her and she nods, already turning towards the first cubicle as Daryl heads to the next one.

At first, Beth doesn't understand why Daryl would want to come in here. It's an office with cubicles, dusty computers and phones, and what could possibly be in here that would make Daryl want to stop? She doesn't ask though. Daryl is far more the expert at this sort of thing than she is. She avoids the pictures on the desk of family and children and pets and she begins opening the drawers.

Ohhhhh, now she understands.

In the top drawer, there are pens, paper clips, ibuprofen and packs of breath mints. She takes the ibuprofen even though she knows it will be useless and the breath mints. Going through other desks and more drawers, there is candy, more bottles of aspirin and ibuprofen, granola bars, hair rubber bands; someone had actually brought a pair of slippers to leave at their desk and someone else had brought in a long cardigan sweater that Beth takes as well. She thinks Carol might like it.

She has been setting everything she finds onto one of the desks and that's where Daryl finds her, his arms full with things as well.

"Went through their kitchen. Tons of sugar and lil' coffee things for that coffee thing," he says and when he sets the boxes down, she sees that he means k-cups for the Keurig.

She's so happy to see his finds, she claps and bounces on her toes, pressing her lips to his. She can tell that Daryl is surprised, but then after a moment, he kisses her back and she can feel his hand on the back of her head. Slowly, she pulls her lips back and she looks into his eyes, giving him a small smile.

"'ve noticed somethin'," Daryl says after a beat.

"What's that?" Beth asks and she finds herself already smiling.

"You got a lil' somethin' of a coffee addiction."

That makes her laugh, which makes him smile that little smile of his, and still smiling, she kisses him again.

"Find anythin' good?" Daryl asks.

"Yes! Candy," she then waves arm over all of her finds.

"God, 've always loved these," he says and she watches as he takes a bag of butterscotch candies. Right there, he opens the bag and takes one of the candies, unwrapping it from the plastic film and popping it into his mouth. "Wan' one?" He offers.

Beth smiles and nods and he hands her one, watching as she unwraps it and pops it into her mouth.

"I'm gonna start carryin' this stuff out to the car," Daryl says.

"And I'm going to find their toilet paper and paper towel supply," Beth tells him. "I bet they have a Kleenex supply somewhere, too."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in a minute and help," Daryl says and begins to scoop up their findings in his arms. As he walks past her, he leans down and kisses her on the side of her head and Beth smiles at him for the unexpected – but definitely not unwanted – gesture.

She's still smiling when he walks away, heading back outside, and Beth turns to further explore the office. The prison has a very large supply of toilet paper, but there's absolutely no harm in getting even more to add to that supply. After going through a winter, using leaves, Beth feels like toilet paper has become one of the most important things for them to have; right behind safe walls and some decent food.

As she opens the door labeled "SUPPLY", carefully, slowly and with her knife pulled out, when Beth sees the massive box of toilet paper, she can't help, but let out a squeal of excitement.

From now on, any office they pass, Beth is going to insist they stop.

Outside, Daryl dumps the armful of random things into the back of the car and when he stands straight, he takes a look around. It's still quiet. Just birds chirping. And there's something about it that makes Daryl nervous. _Why_ is it so quiet? Why aren't there even walkers around?

A cold settles against the back of his neck despite the hot Georgia sun beating down and the hair on his arms stand on end.

He doesn't double-guess his instincts; never have, never will. His instincts are the reason he's gotten this far.

But before he can even swing his crossbow back into his arms and turn to study everything around him much more closely, there's something cold and hard against the back of his head.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A man's voice asks from behind him.

Daryl stands completely still, his mind racing. There's a gun against the back of his head. He doesn't know if this man – whoever the hell he is – is on his own or if there's more of them. He thinks if there's any way that he can spin a round and put a bolt in this guy's eye, but as if the man can read his thoughts, he presses the gun harder against the back of Daryl's head.

"You alone?" He asks.

"Yeah," Daryl doesn't hesitate in saying.

 _Don't come out, Beth_ , he says silently in his head as if Beth will be able to hear him and stay inside, hidden.

Where the hell did this guy come from? Has he been watching them for a while now already? Does he already know that Beth is inside and he'll get her next?

Daryl can only be furious at himself for being careless and letting his guard down without even realizing it.

"Where you going with all of this?" The man asks next.

"Nowhere," Daryl tells him.

"I don't believe you."

Daryl shrugs and he tells himself that now is not the time to be a smart-ass, but he's a Dixon and sometimes, those with Dixon blood just can't help themselves.

"Not really my problem, is it?" Daryl asks.

He's not surprised when the man brings the gun down onto his head, hitting him hard, and as the black begins rushing up to meet him, Daryl's last conscious thought is of Beth and he can only hope that she keeps her ass in that office and that no one finds her.

He forgot to ask her what kind of cake she wants for her birthday.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so, so much for reading and please take a moment to review! And please remember that I am imagining S3 and will not be following things exactly as it had gone on the show.**


	16. We Need a Plan

…

"Dad!"

Rick's eyes snap open as soon as he hears Carl. He had been on watch the night before and after watching Daryl, with Beth, drive through the gates, heading out, he had gone to his cell to get a few hours of sleep.

"Dad!" Carl shouts again, sounding closer, and Rick sits up just as Carl bursts into his cell, breathless.

"Carl-"

"Someone… here…" the boy pants.

Rick doesn't ask for more of an explanation than that. He grabs his belt with his gun and holster and races from the cell, Carl on his heels. Someone's here. That's all he needs to hear.

"Stay here," Rick orders his son. "Make sure everyone stays inside."

He expects Carl to argue, but Carl just nods quickly.

Outside, he notes that Oscar is in one of the towers, a gun set on a person on the other side of the gate, and Glenn is on the gravel drive, staring at the person through the fence, his own gun drawn, but he doesn't have it pointed to the person – as if he doesn't feel threatened. Rick runs to him and stops at his side. It's a woman with dark skin and black dreadlocks; a sword strapped on her back. She's sweating and shaking and he can see her bleeding. He wonders if she's been bit. Where the hell did she even come from?

"Who are you?" Rick asks, his gun drawn, his eyes never moving from the woman. "Are you alone?"

She doesn't say anything. She grips the chain-link with one hand, fingers curling into it as if she's using it to keep herself upright, and then, with her other, she reaches into the pocket of her pants with the other. It takes Rick and Glenn to see clearly what she's holding up, but as soon as they do, Glenn sucks in a breath and even with the hot, late-morning sun beating down on him, Rick feels cold.

"Beth," Glenn whispers.

Rick recognizes the heart pendant necklace swinging from this woman's hand. It's definitely the necklace that Beth never takes off. It had been on a delicate chain until this past winter when it had broken and Beth had then looped it onto a bit of black cord she had found in one of the places they had been staying at that night. If the woman is now holding the necklace, something has obviously happened.

"Where did you find that?" Rick asks her.

The woman visibly swallows, looking like she's about to collapse, but Rick needs his answers first before he even thinks of letting this woman inside the fence.

His mind is already racing. If something has happened to Beth, something has definitely happened to Daryl, too. He would never let anything happen to Beth. He would die first. So does this mean that Daryl is dead? Or did something happen to him, too?

Rick quickly thinks of their gun and ammunition supply. How much will they have to use? Are either of them bitten? Have they gotten stuck somewhere? Maybe they went into a building that collapsed. Rick doesn't know if something like that would possibly happen, but he's not going to rule anything out. Not in this world.

"Where did you find that?" Rick asks again, his voice harder; demanding.

The woman swallows again. "Pretty girl dropped it. She saw me, hiding, and when she dropped it, she was able to point up the road. I didn't know where I was going, but this road led me here."

"Why did she drop it?" Glenn is the one to demand now.

"Two guys were chasing me… found the pretty girl and the guy she was with instead... They took them back to Woodbury."

"Woodbury?" Rick repeats the word.

"It's a place… a town with walls."

Rick and Glenn look at one another before back to the woman.

"Why were these guys chasing you?" Rick asks, but the woman can't answer anymore.

She begins to sway and then she faints, heavily, to the ground.

"Cover me," Rick tells Glenn as they both hurry to the fence and Rick grabs his key to unlock the gate.

Glenn has his gun drawn as they both step outside and Rick kneels down next to the woman. He runs a quick hand over her body to make sure that she's not bleeding because of a bite. Instead, it looks like she's been shot. Who the fuck are these guys she's talking about and what the hell is Woodbury?

 _Where_ the hell is Woodbury and why would they take Daryl and Beth there?

Shoving his gun back into the holster again, he first takes the sword – a katana of all things – from her back and holds it out for Glenn to take. Rick then grabs the woman's arm, pulling her up into a sitting position and hefting her up over one of his shoulders. With Glenn behind him, still keeping cover, they both get back inside the fence, Glenn slamming and locking the gate again.

"Go get Hershel," Rick tells him and Glenn nods, racing ahead, back up the gravel drive towards the prison.

"What's going on?" Oscar calls down to him from the tower's platform.

"Don't know yet! Stay on watch and I'll get you if I need you!" Rick calls back and Oscar nods.

Everyone is waiting in the common room when Rick enters and Carol has already laid out a blanket on the floor for him to place the woman down on.

"Beth's been taken?" Maggie immediately asks.

"I don't know," Rick nods, standing up again, staring down at the woman, still unconscious. "That's what it sounds like, but I don't know."

He takes a step back, giving Hershel room, as the man kneels down with help from Glenn, and the older man begins his inspection of this woman.

"Carol," he looks back to the woman. "I'm going to need your help. She's been shot," he says.

"And we're sure we want to help her?" Carol asks.

Maggie frowns at her. "Beth's been taken," she reminds her.

"And how do we know that this woman doesn't have something to do with it?" Carol asks her, but then looks at the rest of them. "Did she say that Daryl and Beth have been taken? How do we know that she wasn't part of the taking and that this isn't a trap?"

Rick scrubs his hands over his face.

There's too many possibilities right now and Daryl and Beth are out there right now, needing them, and the one person who could possibly help them or provide them with any kind of answer isn't waking up.

Anne begins to cry and Lori, holding her, shushes her quietly and turns, taking her back into the cell block.

Rick looks at all of them. "We're going to get her patched up so she can answer our questions. Hershel and Carol, you handle that. Glenn, Maggie, get our weapons ready and anything else we might need to get them back. Carl, I need you out on watch with Oscar and Axel, go find a map or an atlas somewhere. There might be one in the guard's break room or one of the offices. Look and see if there's a place called Woodbury."

No one argues. Rick must look like he's not going to put up with arguing from anyone right now.

He turns and goes into the cell block, his head already pounding as he thinks of what their next move should be. Should he wait for the woman to wake up so she can tell them more? Or should he just take a few of them and go find this Woodbury, bursting in with guns blazing to get Daryl and Beth back?

A town with walls. That must mean that there's someone there, in charge, and others there to protect it. He can't just go, half-cocked with no plan whatsoever. He doesn't know the first thing about this place and making a single mistake could mean something happening to Beth or Daryl or both.

In Lori's cell, she is sitting on the stool at the desk, still bouncing Anne gently in her arms though the baby girl has quieted down and is now slobbering around her fist. Without a word, Rick steps into the cell and sits down on the edge of the bed across from them. He rests his arms on his knees and drops his head tiredly.

"What are you thinking?" Lori asks him in a quiet voice after he doesn't say anything right away.

Rick shakes his head and then lifts it to look at her. She looks tired, too, and he needs to start offering more help with Anne even though when he does offer, she always refuses. He's not going to let her refuse anymore. No matter what, he looks at this baby as his daughter, too, and he's in charge of this prison and this family, but this woman and this baby, they're his family, too. Along with Carl, they're the _most_ important family and he needs to step up more and let Lori get some rest, too.

This woman is still his wife and he still loves this woman. She's made mistakes, but they all have. Why should he expect Lori to be perfect when even he's far from that himself?

He needs to tell her that, but right now isn't exactly the right time to have that discussion between them.

"I don't know," he admits and he feels like he can admit that only to Lori. "I want to race out and try and get them back right this second, but I know I can't. I have no idea what I'd be racing into."

Lori nods in agreement.

"But I can't just sit here and _wait_ and not do anything," Rick continues. "It's Daryl and Beth. I'd want to race out if it was any of us and I don't know what's happening to them."

Again, Lori nods.

"What do you think?" He asks her and Lori's eyes flash with surprise that he would.

She opens her mouth to speak, but then pauses and closes it again. She is quiet, thinking it over, and as she does, Rick leans forward enough where he can take Anne from her arms into his own. The baby girl is still gnawing on her fist and Rick smiles down at her. She looks like Lori and Rick won't say this out loud, but _Thank God_ for that.

"I think we need to wait until the woman wakes up again," Lori says and Rick lifts his eyes to look at her again. "I'm with you. I want to race out and get Daryl and Beth back as soon as we possibly can, but you're right. We don't know anything about where they've been taken or the people who've taken them and the last thing we need is any more of us being taken."

Rick nods and he doesn't like the answer, but it's the same answer he's come up with and it's the right one. As much as he hates it, he knows that waiting and not running blind is the best course of action right now.

"Daryl won't let anything happen to Beth," Lori then says quietly; almost as if she's reassuring herself.

"If they've been kept together," Rick says out loud before he can stop himself.

He hadn't wanted to say it out loud and put it out in the universe, but he can't help it.

He thinks about what _he_ would do if he was the sort to take two people against their will. He would look at a guy like Daryl and figure out pretty damn quick that he's not the kind of guy that should be messed with and the only thing to do would be to get him under control. And fast.

Beth is a young girl - obviously the weaker of the pair – and she _is_ pretty, as the mysterious unconscious woman had said more than once. This world is an awful place filled with all sorts of awful things and one of these awful things might look at a pretty girl like Beth and…

Rick squeezes his eyes shut. He's not going to put _that_ out in the universe. He's going to believe that nothing like that will happen to Beth and that he'll get her and Daryl back before that can happen.

Both Rick and Lori turn their heads when Hershel brings himself to the cell, standing on his crutches in the door. The man's face looks void of any color and Rick imagines how he would look if someone took his son or daughter someplace they don't know.

"She's sewn up and resting. In addition to the bullet wound, she's severely dehydrated. I don't," Hershel stops himself and swallows, his voice beginning to shake. He takes a second to collect himself. "I don't know how long she's going to be out."

Not exactly the answer Rick was looking for. He needs that woman awake and now.

He gives Hershel a nod. He wishes he knew what he could say to the man other than promising him that they'll get both of them. Of course they're going to get Daryl and Beth back and Rick is already preparing himself to do anything to do that. But he doesn't say that to Hershel because Hershel already knows.

Rick looks back to Lori. "Whether she's awake or not by tonight, I'm going to go and get Daryl and Beth back."

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! Seriously. Every single one of you is awesome. This chapter was a bit shorter - just because I want the Woodbury chapters to stand on their own. Thank you again!**


	17. A No Win Situation

…

He feels the blood in his mouth and he knows if he spits, one of his back teeth will come out with it. The cut on his head is slowly trickling blood down the side of his face, nearly getting in his eye, and his entire middle section is on fire; the familiar pain of having a broken rib or two. All of this is familiar to him; too familiar. This asshole throwing the punches has no idea who Daryl Dixon is or what Will Dixon did to him growing up. If it was anyone else tied to this chair, he would have broken a long time ago. But not Daryl.

The other reason he's not breaking is the far bigger one.

They have Beth. She's somewhere here – wherever the hell they are – and Daryl can't break because he has no idea what they're doing to her. He can't break because somehow, he's going to get out of here, kill every single person he comes across, and get Beth back.

He doesn't doubt that they have Beth. The guy landing the punches on him will mention the pretty blonde girl when he takes breaks and Daryl's mind is racing with thoughts of what these people are doing to her. Are they beating her like they're beating him? No. For some reason, even with all of the shit this world has turned into, Daryl still can't imagine people doing that to someone as small as Beth. But there are plenty of other things people can do to a girl…

Daryl doesn't know what to focus on; his mind racing with images of what Beth is going through or focusing on all of the pain from all parts of his body, screaming.

This guy's name is Crowley. There is another guy outside the door, keeping watch, and he had said the name. Daryl can't hear much except the ringing in his ears, but he was able to pick up on the name when it was said. Crowley. Daryl isn't going to forget that anytime soon.

He wonders where the hell he is. It's a concrete room. He's sitting in a chair, tied to it, a table in front of him. It reminds him of an interrogation room at a police station except there is no two-way mirror hanging on the wall. Daryl wonders who these people are and how many people have been tied in this chair before him.

He wonders where the hell Beth is. He never should have taken her side when she wanted to come out on a run. He should have stood with Maggie and told her that there was no way in hell she was leaving the prison. She would have been mad; madder than mad. But Daryl wouldn't have cared about that. She could have hated him, but as long as it meant she was staying in the prison, not going on runs and staying _safe_ , Daryl would have let her hate him for as long as she lived; and she would be living for a very long time.

But instead, he had looked at her and all he wanted to do was make her happy. And he had thought that if he was the one out here with her, she'd be safe and nothing would happen to her.

Maybe he does deserve to be tied to this chair and beaten.

Crowley lays one more punch to Daryl's ribs and Daryl has to clench his teeth together as tightly as he can to keep from screaming out as the pain explodes.

"Gonna go get something to eat," Crowley tells him. "Don't go anywhere."

The man laughs at his own joke as he leaves the room, the door shutting heavily behind him.

Daryl exhales a deep breath.

He moves his hands, tied behind his back. He can feel the rope at his wrists and moving his fingers, he's able to feel the thickness of it. Not that thick, but thick enough to make escaping out of this chair a little more difficult. It's not impossible though. Nothing's impossible. He survived his old man and there's dead people walking around. It's pretty damn obvious that just about anything is possible. He just has to stop and think for minute; catch his breath and think before diving headfirst into doing something that will probably fail.

He doesn't know where he is and he doesn't know what this place is and Beth can be anywhere. He's going to have to do this, step by step. Step one. Get the fuck out of this chair.

Crowley seems like he's missing a few brain cells – more brawn than brains for sure – and he didn't tie Daryl's legs to the chair. That's one good thing working in Daryl's favor. With his legs free, he has _some_ chance of figuring out how to get out of this.

His body screams in protest, but he ignores it as Daryl pushes himself forward, getting to his feet and hunched forward so the chair is on his back. Yeah, a couple of his ribs are definitely broken and when he bends forward, he nearly falls from the pain. But he'll fall later. Once he gets Beth back and they're back at the prison, safe and with their family, that's when he'll allow himself to collapse from the pain. The time to do that is sure as hell not right now.

He wonders if the other guy is still out there on the other side of the door. Daryl hopes he is. He is more than ready to start killing people and that guy will be as good as any.

Taking a deep breath, Daryl rushes as fast as he can towards the wall, turning his side to collide with the concrete as hard as he can. He can hear the wood of the chair splinter from the impact. Daryl pauses to catch his breath. Fuck, he can't believe how out of breath he already is. Every square inch of him hurts and he's bleeding and he can only hope that they haven't beaten Beth, too, because _when_ he finds her, he might need her help to get _him_ out of here.

He pushes himself through the pain as he crashes himself against the wall again. The chair splinters more and Daryl is able to shake his arms as bits of wood fall to the floor and after a moment of working with the ropes, his hands are able to loosen free completely. He shoves himself from the rope and remnants of the chair and he leans against the wall for a moment, breathing heavily and waiting.

There's no one coming though. It's quiet.

He crosses the room to the door and tries to turn the knob, not surprised when he finds that it's locked. He wonders how long it will take for Crowley to eat and come back. The element of surprise will be Daryl's greatest weapon at first and despite his injuries, he'll be able to overpower the man enough to get any weapon the other guy might have and get out of this room.

Daryl looks around the concrete box. There's a window at the top of the room, near the ceiling, and it leads him to believe that he's in the basement of wherever the hell he is. It's also dark out. He's been here for hours and he thinks of what everyone else at the prison is thinking. He and Beth should have been back by now – if the run had gone without a hitch. What is Rick doing? He's probably getting himself ready to head out to try and find them. How the hell is Rick going to find them?

Daryl lifts up the end of the tee-shirt he's wearing and wipes at the blood and sweat on his face and trickling into his eyes.

What now? He needs Crowley to come back. Every minute he just stands here, unable to get out of here, Beth is somewhere else and it's a minute wasted of not getting to her.

He crosses the room to look at the window. There aren't bars over it. That's something good at least. He looks back to the table and then, even though knowing it just might about kill him, he knows it's the only thing to do. Going to the table, he begins pushing it towards the wall, under the window, his body yelling at him in protest, but all it can do is yell at him because Daryl sure as shit isn't stopping.

Then, with gritted teeth, he crawls up onto the table, standing at the window and able to study it closely. He's glad that it's dark outside. That will actually only help him. The window is locked and Daryl looks at it. It's actually a pretty flimsy lock, from what he can see. Just a plastic latch.

Daryl sits down on the table and begins untying one of his boots. He has nothing else right now. And then, with the boot in his hand, he begins hitting the lock as hard as he can, trying to break it, and he's so distracted with his task at hand, he doesn't hear the door behind him opening again.

"Hey!" A man shouts and Daryl spins around to see who it is.

The boot falls out of his hand and he wonders if he's been beaten so good, he's now seeing things in front of him that aren't actually there; like his brother holding a can of beer in his hand; his _one_ hand because there's some sort of metal stump in place of where his other hand should be.

Merle is staring at Daryl as if he's seeing a ghost, too, as he looks at Daryl in this room, standing on the table.

It all becomes too much for Daryl and he can feel the room starting to spin around him.

He and Beth being taken, being beaten and now, Merle, of all people being here. Does this mean that Merle _knows_ that Daryl's been here, taking a beating? Does this mean that Merle knows where Beth is? Merle has no idea who Beth is – having never met her – but Daryl's sure if he mentions "the pretty blonde girl", Merle will know exactly who Daryl is talking about.

Merle should be glad that Daryl's feeling so weak on his feet right now because if he wasn't, and Daryl finds out that Merle has _anything_ to do with what's happened to him and Beth, Daryl doesn't know if he'll stop himself from killing his brother right along with every other person here.

…

Beth learns that the man keeping watch is Shumpert and he has already promised her that he won't hurt her, but Beth has a hard time believing him; forgive her for that. Why would she ever believe a man who had a hand in kidnapping her and Daryl and bringing them here against their will?

She has no idea where Daryl is and she is trying not to think of what they're doing to him or what they already have done to him. She knows how things work now. A group sees a strong man like Daryl, they will do what they have to do to make him _not_ strong anymore.

Beth has been brought to a concrete room with a table and chair in the middle of it and Beth has been ordered to sit in the chair and wait; for what, she has no idea, but she's not going to ask. She hasn't said a word since Shumpert has brought her in here.

She's trying so hard to not show how absolutely terrified she is right now. She's trying to think of Maggie and imagine how Maggie would act in this kind of situation.

Well, for starters, Maggie would have _never_ let herself be taken from someone, but that isn't helping Beth.

She thinks back on that woman she had seen, crouching behind a rusted out car in the road, watching as she was roughly shoved to a waiting car, an unconscious Daryl already in the backseat. Beth prays that the woman had seen her drop her necklace and she had figured out to where Beth was pointing. Will she help? Will she follow the road back to the prison and will she tell her family where she and Daryl are? Beth has no idea who the woman is – if she's good or bad – but right now, that woman is honestly Beth's only hope; that woman and Daryl still being alive somewhere in here, trying to get to her.

No, Beth nearly shakes her head at the thought. She's not going to rely on Daryl to come and find her. _She_ will be the one to get herself out of here and _she_ will be the one to find Daryl. She's the one who wanted to come out on a run and show her family that she can handle it. This is just part of the run; not exactly planned – to put it mildly – but it's still part of the run and she still wants to show her family that she is strong for this world. Delivering Anne and keeping both Lori and the baby alive had certainly showed everyone that she was capable, but she wanted to show them that she was capable of _anything_.

So first things first. She has to stop trembling and get her eyes to stop brimming with tears. If this was Maggie sitting in this chair instead of her, she wouldn't be crying. Maggie would be thinking of how she would get herself the heck out of this situation and that's exactly what Beth is going to do.

"Do you want something to drink?" Shumpert, standing in front of the door, asks her.

Beth doesn't answer him; just shakes her head. She is dying for a glass of water, but over her dead body will she ask him for absolutely anything. _Over her dead body_. Maybe that's what these people are all counting on.

Who the heck are these people and where has she and Daryl been brought?

She and her family had spent the past few months since losing the farm, going in circles, seeing nothing, but walkers. There hasn't been another living person besides those in their group for so long, some days, Beth imagined that they were the only ones left.

Now that she finds herself in this situation, Beth wishes that that had been true.

She swallows thickly and forces herself to focus as she looks around the room; not that there's much to look at. It reminds her of a police interrogation room she would see on a television show. Concrete walls, a single table, a chair. There's no two-way mirror on the wall though. Without turning, she knows there's a window behind her. She had seen it when Shumpert first brought her in here.

And with Shumpert here, there's no way she can get to that window. It's too high off the ground and with the man standing there, it's not like she can bring the chair over to stand on, unlock the window and shimmy out.

She freezes when there's a knock on the door and Shumpert turns, opening it a crack to see who it is. He then steps back, opening the door completely and revealing who it is.

Beth instantly feels afraid when she looks at the man. He's tall with brown hair and an eye-patch over one eye. He smiles when his other eye lands on Beth, but she's not going to be fooled and she's going to trust the hairs standing on the back of her neck. This is not a good man.

When he whispers something to Shumpert, who nods and leaves the room, Beth almost shouts after him to not leave. She doesn't know why, but that man has been in the room with her and hasn't made a single move against her. But now this other man is here and Shumpert has left and Beth is terrified of being left alone with this new one.

The man closes the door behind Shumpert and then turns back to Beth with that same smile on his face; cold and empty. The kind of smile she imagines the devil giving while offering the world before getting to that slight catch of needing to hand over your soul to get it.

"I'm Phillip and I run this place," the man speaks.

"What is this place?" Beth can't keep silent.

"Woodbury. A town, safe behind walls. A town just like how so many people remember them to be. There's women and children here. Whole families."

"And you run it?" Beth asks.

"I do," he nods. "I keep everyone within these walls safe from the biters out there."

"I didn't ask you to keep me safe and I would like to leave."

"I can't let you do that," he tells her and the knot in Beth's stomach, which had been steadily forming since Shumpert brought her here, doubles itself so tightly, she nearly wants to hold her middle in pain.

She doesn't though. She doesn't move a single muscle as she keeps her eyes on this man.

"I can't let you go until you answer a few of my questions."

He stands on the other side of the table, looking down at her in the chair, and Beth knows what he's doing. He's trying to intimidate her and frighten her into telling him whatever he wants. He's standing at his full height and looking down at her, thinking she's nothing more than some weak, little girl. And if he had seen her months ago, while still on the farm, he'd be right. But it's not months ago and they're not on the farm.

She has delivered a baby girl. She has gotten bleach sickness. She has stood toe-to-toe with Daryl Dixon. She has _kissed_ Daryl Dixon.

This Phillip man has no idea who he's talking to right now.

She's scared, but she's not going to let him know that. She's not going to let him know a damn thing.

"I think you might need some incentive though," Phillip muses out loud. "That man we found you with? Would you like to see him?"

"Yes," Beth blurts out, knowing it's a trap, but not caring because at just the idea of seeing Daryl, she can't reign herself in and think logically even though that's exactly what she has to do right now.

"If you answer my first question, I'll let you see him for a moment."

Beth swallows, forcing herself to stop and think for a moment before speaking again. "And if I don't answer your first question? Or any question? How do I even know that you have Daryl and you haven't left him on the side of the road somewhere?" She almost closes her eyes. She has just let this man know Daryl's name. And the man smiles, having caught it, too.

She's not good at this. She has to get better. And fast.

"You don't trust me?" Phillip then places a hand on his heart as if wounded at the idea. "I promise you. Daryl is here and I will let you see him if you just tell me where you and Daryl came from. That's all I want to know. You're both clean and your clothes are clean and you look like you've eaten in recent memory so that's my question. Where did you and Daryl come from?"

"Why does that matter?" Beth wonders.

Phillip just smiles at the question and Beth stares at him, the breath stopping in her throat, as he slowly walks around to her side of the table until he's stopped right at her side.

"Because I can't have you and Daryl and whatever people you're with to come here and hurt me and my people. I keep everyone within these walls safe from _everything_ outside of these walls." He lifts a hand then and Beth feels her stomach roll as he rests it on her shoulder. "You understand that, don't you?"

Beth sits there, frozen in her chair, her heart pounding so loud and so fast, it hurts her chest.

She knows this man is not a good man. She has no doubt that this man will hurt her and Daryl whether she answers his questions or not. She knows that what she is thinking of doing right now, he'll probably kill her, but Beth isn't going to think of that. All she knows is she can't tell this man anything about the prison or her family who lives there because after he kills her and Daryl, he'll go and kill all of them, too.

She won't win this situation no matter what she does so she might as well do something incredibly stupid.

Without another second of thinking it through, Beth turns her head and as quick as a flash, she bites down right onto Phillip's hand as hard as she can.

…

* * *

 **Yay! I wanted to update before the weekend and I was able to! Thank you very much for reading.**

 **My aesthetic is Daryl raising Hell when it comes to anything happening to Beth, but my aesthetic is also Beth being a badass so we're going to be getting both!**


	18. Trying to Think Things Through

***Physical violence against Beth in this chapter. Skip the second section if you don't want to read it. I will completely understand.**

* * *

…

Rick crouches down as he peers through the tiniest hole he has found in the fence. A quiet street in front of him lined with lit torches every few feet. It's quiet; like any other small town before the world ended at this late hour. What the hell is this place?

Watching for another moment, he stands up again and turns back towards the small group. The woman – Michonne – is awake again and has brought them here. The katana is on her back and she looks absolutely furious though she hasn't said a word once they have gotten themselves closer to this place. Rick thinks her anger is going to be a good thing. He has a feeling he's going to need all of the help he can get to get Beth and Daryl out of there and safely returned to the prison. _Home_.

Maggie is here, of course. There's no way that Maggie _wouldn't_ be here. Glenn is, too, as is Oscar. Rick hadn't planned on Oscar coming, but when he had discussed the plan with everyone, Oscar had told Rick that he was coming and the way the man had said it, Rick knew that there would be no point in arguing. That man was going to be coming to Woodbury with them and nothing would stop him.

Rick almost smiles to himself as he looks at the large, formidable man. Leave it to Beth to make good friends with a man they literally found in a prison.

 _Almost_ smiles, but he doesn't. There's nothing to smile about right now. His family's inside and he's prepared to do anything to get them both of there.

His eyes land, once again, on Michonne.

"Any idea where he might be keeping them?" He asks her.

He notices Michonne's visible pause and she then shakes her head. Rick does his best to not be disappointed, but he can't help it. He had hoped that _one_ thing would be easy. It would certainly be a nice surprise if it was, but he shouldn't have been counting on it to be. And he's not. He's just figuring out how they're going to get into this place, stay low, go undetected and somehow be able to find Daryl and Beth. They could be anywhere and Rick knows that it's not like they have all of the time in the world.

He exhales a deep breath and nods. "Alright."

"What now?" Maggie wants to know. She's scared, Rick can tell, but just like Michonne, there is a silent fury to her that is nearly making her body quake with the slightest quivers.

"If we were holding two people against their will, where would we put them?" Rick wonders out loud, asking them all.

"A basement," Glenn is the one to answer. "It's a lot harder to escape from a basement."

Rick nods, having thought the same thing.

"This is a town so they would have a police station," Oscar speaks up.

Again, Rick nods.

That makes absolutely perfect sense. He knows that if this was his place and they had taken two people against their will, taking them to the jail cells would be his exact course of action, too. Rick wonders who's in charge of this place. Should he even try to think like them? Rick can't imagine the two having much in common with one another. Rick would never think of kidnapping two people just for the hell of it and holding them captive for no reason whatsoever because what the hell could the reason for having Daryl and Beth be?

"We're going to walk the fence," he says and the looks to Maggie when he sees her opening her mouth; more than likely to disagree.

He knows what Maggie wants to do. She wants to storm in, guns blazing, and that's exactly what they _can't_ do. They have to be as silent as possible. In and out with as few people knowing that they're there as possible. Storming the castle just isn't the option right now.

"We find a weak spot with little guard and that's how we get in," Rick continues, keeping his eyes on Maggie.

"Maybe we find a tree," Glenn says and everyone looks at him, blinking at him as if he has no idea what he's talking about. Glenn sighs and points to the tree they're standing under. "A tree we can climb. Maybe a strong enough branch can get us over the top of the fence."

Rick looks up to the tree and then nods, looking back to the others. "That'll work. Weak spot in the fence or a tree strong enough to get us all over."

It might seem amateur; climbing a tree to break in, but there's little else to do otherwise. This is how they're going to get inside. This is how they're going to stay quiet and low about it and this is how they're going to find Daryl and Beth as quickly as they can.

Rick's not looking to kill anyone tonight even though he already knows it's going to be inevitable. Whoever is inside this fence, they took his people. Daryl and Beth. They're family and some person – or people – took them and there is no way Rick isn't going to retaliate for that. He'll kill who he has to.

He knows that Oscar, Maggie and Glenn are prepared to do that, too. They'll do what has to be done to get Daryl and Beth back with them. Rick knows if he tells Maggie to burn this place to the ground, for her sister, Maggie would do it without a second's hesitation.

He's not sure about Michonne though. He doesn't know the first thing about her other than her name and that people here were chasing after her before they snatched his own people. He only hopes that the anger he's sensing from her is enough to have her help him out here tonight.

Rick's going to need as much help as he can get tonight.

…

The pain explodes across Beth's face and she cries out as her body falls out of the chair and to the floor.

She's never been hit before – except the hits of siblings when she, Maggie and Shawn were roughhousing together – and the pain is nothing she's ever felt. It explodes in a fire and her head spins for a moment, her mind dazed as if it's trying to figure out what just happened to her.

Phillip towers over her, his head blocking the light-bulb hanging from the ceiling from her vision. "Where did you and Daryl come from?" He asks her again.

Beth only glares up at him, her jaw clenched shut.

She cries out again when Phillip grabs her hair and yanks her roughly to her feet. She expects a clump to pull off in his fist as her roots scream.

"You will tell me," Phillip orders her, his one eye black and glaring at her with an anger that scares her; not that she'll _ever_ let him know that.

"No," Beth refuses him.

And just like when she bit his hand, she knows this is just as stupid – if not more so – but she doesn't stop herself from doing it. She brings her head back and then spits, it landing right on his cheek. The hit is instant and Beth cries out because this time, he didn't use his palm to smack her. This time, he uses his fist to collide it against her face and she instantly sees lights dancing in front of her eyes as her body falls to the cement ground again.

She lays there for a moment, not able to do anything else. She can taste blood in her mouth and the room is spinning. She can't think of anything else right now except that this man punched her. She knows he's going to keep asking her that question and she's going to keep refusing so more punches are inevitable. She already knows that, but she's not going to tell him. No matter how long this man beats her, she won't break. She can't. She can only imagine that they're beating Daryl, too, and Daryl won't break so Beth can't either.

What if she did? Daryl would be so disappointed in her.

If Maggie was here instead of her, Beth knows that her sister would be able to take it so Beth will, too.

And honestly, Beth prefers this man's fists to something far worse, in her opinion, that Phillip, or any other man here, could do to her otherwise.

"Where did you and Daryl come from?" He asks the question again, but sound is still ringing in Beth's ears and though he's standing right over her, his voice sounds so far away.

Beth spits again – this time, to the floor, and this time, she sees the red blood mixed in with her translucent saliva. At least there's no tooth that comes out with it. Wouldn't that just be her luck? She survives this beating, but then dies anyway because her mouth gets infected from a lost tooth?

Her body folds into itself when Phillip kicks her in her middle. She groans and holds herself, wondering what it feels like when a rib is broken. Fire? Because that's what her entire body feels like right now; as if she's entirely consumed in flames.

"I have to hand it to you," Phillip pauses and Beth can hear his voice clearer now. He sounds out of breath.

Beating someone must be _so_ exhausting, she thinks sarcastically to herself.

"A little thing like you is holding out a lot longer than I thought you would," he says and she can't see it clearly, but she can hear him smiling all the same. "One punch and I'd thought you'd be out."

Beth is still struggling to breathe to respond. His kick has seemed to make all of her internal organs collapse. Internal bleeding. Her daddy won't be able to fix that. If she doesn't die from an infected mouth due to a lost tooth, dying from internal bleeding that can't be stopped might be the way.

No, Beth tells herself as firmly as she can. She's not going to die. Not today or anytime soon. She can be tough. She _is_ tough.

" _You gave me something, I understand._

 _You gave me loving in the palm of my hand."_

The Wings song she had sung for Daryl this morning – had that really been just this morning? – enters her mind and she can hear it perfectly as it plays.

" _I can't tell you how I feel,_

 _My heart is like a wheel._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you."_

Phillip yanks her up this time by her arm, it feeling as if he's nearly pulling it from the socket, and the punch this time is to the other side of her head.

"Where did you and Daryl come from?"

The same question and the same response. Silence.

" _I want to tell you,_

 _And now's the time._

 _I want to tell you that you're going to be mine."_

He is holding her up so when he punches her for a third time, Beth doesn't fall even as her body slumps. Phillip is strong enough and Beth is light enough where even as she becomes dead weight, heavy and limp all at the same time, he is able to keep her up.

" _I can't tell you how I feel,_

 _My heart is like a wheel._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you._

 _Let me roll it,_

 _Let me roll it to you."_

She wonders where Daryl is and what they're doing to him right now. Are they beating him right at this very second? Is he thinking of her the way she's thinking of him to get through it?

When they find each other again – she doesn't doubt that they will – she wants Daryl to see that she's made it; that she's strong and brave and she's just like Maggie and Carol; brave and tough and can handle a beating. When they find each other again and Daryl sees her, Beth wants him to be proud of her.

…

Daryl feels like he's going to collapse at any moment, but seeing Merle, of all people there, he feels a jolt of adrenaline. Getting himself down from the table, he's able to shove his brother against the wall. And Merle is so stunned to actually see his little brother in his room, Merle is able to be shoved.

"Hey! What the hell?" Merle snaps once he realizes what Daryl has done.

Without thinking, he shoves Daryl back away from him and Daryl can't fight him off. He's too tired; too beaten. He's still tasting blood in his mouth and there's definitely a broken rib or two. When Merle shoves him, Daryl goes down, his body meeting the ground.

"Shit," Merle instantly hurries to him, setting his beer can and closing the door as he kneels next to him.

Daryl groans, clenching his teeth together, squeezing his eyes shut – his arms holding his middle – and he begins counting. It's what he used to do when Will Dixon came out of whatever drunken stupor he was in enough to remember that he had a kid and decide to show him some attention with his belt.

He counts and somehow, that's able to take him away from the pain for a moment or two.

When he counts now, it does the same thing and after he gets to twenty-three, he's able to open his eyes and feel like he can breathe again.

"Shit, Daryl, 'm sorry," Merle says and looking up to his older brother's face, Daryl can almost believe him.

Daryl knows that there's a ton of things he can say to Merle and ask him right now, but really, there's only one thought on his mind.

"Where's Beth?" He asks.

Merle blinks at him. "Who's Beth?"

"Pretty blonde girl," Daryl says. "Was brought in with me, but they took her somewhere else."

Merle just keeps blinking at him and isn't saying anything and despite his body screaming at him to just stop, Daryl forces himself to sit up and he grabs the front of Merle's shirt.

"Where is Beth?" Daryl demands of him, practically growling it out.

"Easy, lil' brother. Easy," Merle says and removes his hand from him – not as roughly as he would have if Daryl wasn't beaten to a bump, Daryl is able to realize in the back of his clouded mind. "I haven't seen her, but I heard some of the others talking. She's down here, too. We'll get her."

Daryl has the traitorous thought of wondering if he can actually trust Merle or not before he shoves that thought of his mind.

"What the fuck happened to you, Merle?" He asks, his eyes beginning to close again.

He's so tired and there's just too much pain; not even counting is seeming to help him get through it. But he can't be tired and he can't close his eyes. Beth's down here – wherever the hell "down here" is – and he has to be able to get to her. He has no idea what's being done to her, but Daryl doesn't doubt that the sooner he gets to her, the better. If he can just to Beth, everything else will be alright. How, he doesn't know, but he'll think of that next as soon as he's got Beth again.

"I got out of Atlanta and this guy found me and set me right again," Merle tells him, taking his beer can and bringing it to Daryl's lips.

Daryl manages to take a sip despite his split lip and he has to wonder if any of this is actually happening. His brother is here – his brother who he hasn't seen in months and who had he had thought, though he didn't really want to, was probably long dead – and there's a _cold_ beer being offered to him.

Maybe he's dead. Maybe he's already dead and none of this is real.

"What guy?"

Merle offers him another sip, but Daryl shakes his head. The fact the beer is cold is insane to him, but that's not why he doesn't want any of it. It's doing nothing to help his bloody lips and mouth and just making them sting and hurt more.

"He's in charge of this whole place. Likes to be called the Governor," Merle says.

"That's the stupidest thing 've ever heard," Daryl grunts, sitting up a bit more, leaving back against the wall behind him for support.

He's able to lift his bloody and sweaty tee-shirt, noticing that his hands are shaking the slightest bit. Sure enough, he's beginning to bruise already. That Crowley guy might be an idiot, but he knows how to land his punches. All he can do is hope there's no internal damage. Hershel can't do anything if there's something wrong with him, internally.

Merle smiles a little. "Yeah…" he looks down to Daryl's bruised middle, too. "Shit. Crowley really did a number on you. 'll take care of 'im for this."

Daryl looks up from looking over his bruises to look at Merle. "You're takin' my side over his?" He asks and Merle frowns at him; as if he can't believe that Daryl would actually ask that.

Merle doesn't answer Daryl's question and instead, he puts the cold can to one of his bruises, Daryl hissing at the contact.

"We gotta find Beth," Daryl says through his clenched teeth. "We gotta find her."

"We'll find her, lil' brother," Merle promises him and moves the can to another bruise.

Daryl looks at his older brother. He wants to tell him that he hadn't given up. He was still trying to find him. He just had had no idea where to look and had done the best he could. Daryl wants to tell Merle that he didn't choose Rick over him and that there's no choice. He can have two brothers. There's no harm in that – whether Merle would ever see it like that or not, Daryl already knows he won't.

There's a lot he wants to tell his brother, but right now, there's really only two things on his mind that he can actually focus on.

One is Beth. He has to find her and get her back and then he has to get them both out of here.

Two is Merle. A lot has happened to both of them in the past few months. Daryl's got himself a new group and it looks like Merle's got one, too, and Daryl can't help, but wonder if he can actually trust his older brother anymore or not.

Daryl figures that he'll figure that one out for himself sooner rather than later.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading! For some** **reason** **, this chapter was really challenging to write, but I'm happy with how it finally turned out.**


	19. Get Up (Dust Off)

…

Phillip finally leaves the room. Beth doesn't know how long it's been. She's lost all sense of time. It could be minutes since he started hitting her or it could even be days. She doesn't know and honestly, she doesn't even really care. All she cares is that Phillip is gone and he's not hitting or kicking her anymore.

She lays on the floor, unable to find the strength to move. Everything hurts. Every single inch of her body screams and just leaving herself on the floor right now is all she can do. She knows she can't stay here forever. Phillip's gone and she doesn't know for how long that will be. Beth tells herself over and over. She tells herself to get up over and over. But she can't. If she moves, she imagines that she'll die.

It's amazing really; how much the human body can endure. Beth lays on the floor and it feels like very single bone in her body is broken, her left eye is so swollen, she can hardly see out of it and yet, she's still here. Her body hasn't just given up. _She_ hasn't given up. No matter how many times Phillip tried to get her to, she never answered him and she never gave into him. It would have been so easy, too. More than once, she had been so ready to tell him about the prison just so he would stop his fists, but she always found the strength to stop herself from the words spilling out. If this was how God saw to take her from the world, Beth already told herself that she was going to die by keeping the rest of her family safe.

Laying here on the cold, cement ground, trying to steady her breathing even though even breathing is causing her so much pain right now. She definitely has a broken rib or two. She hopes her daddy can fix it – if she's able to see her daddy again.

Or maybe she'll be seeing her mama and Shawn, Jimmy, Patricia and Otis long before that.

She thinks of the family she has now and how she might die without ever seeing them again. She thinks of the prison and how they had all been putting the work into making it feel as much as a home as they can. She thinks of how she wanted to start a little school and Anne would be her first student. Maybe Maggie and Glenn would have a baby someday and they would be in the school, too.

Maybe she and Daryl, someday…

She had always wanted to be a mother. Even now. Even in this world. Even after seeing how scared Lori had been through her entire pregnancy with Anne and even after seeing how hard the labor and delivery had been. It was just one of those things for Beth. She had always felt that she was meant to be a mother.

She wonders how Daryl feels about that. She doesn't even know how he feels about her. He knows he likes her and cares for her and her feelings for him are the same, but they're growing stronger with each passing day; with every kiss or smile. She wonders if she would ever admit such a thing out loud, but the world ending might have worked out in her favor because she wouldn't have met Daryl Dixon in any other way.

It doesn't seem like she's going to get the chance for any of that though – to be a mom or to teach or to fall in love with Daryl or to even tell him that she can see herself easily falling in love with him.

Her body has survived this beating, but she can't imagine it surviving much longer. She can't even get herself off of this floor. She's going to die on this floor and she still doesn't know what she has done that would make Phillip beat her so harshly. Just because she didn't answer his question? That's a reason to kill her?

And is she really going to let someone like Phillip with his stupid eye patch kill her?

Exhaling a deep breath and whispering a quick prayer to God, asking Him to help her right now, Beth grunts with pain as she moves her arms. Good Lord, even that hurts. She puts her hands flat on the ground and grinding her teeth together to keep herself from screaming out, she tries to push herself up, but after not even a handful of seconds, she has to lay down again.

She can't do it. She can't.

"Stop, Beth," she speaks out loud to scold herself. Does she really have to give herself this pep talk again? Does she need to go through the list again of things she has done already?

She had wanted to go on a run and she's still on the run. This is just part of the run.

Getting her hands flat on the ground again, she forces herself. She already has a couple of broken ribs. What's a couple more if it means getting out of here?

By the time she gets to her knees, she's panting as if she's just run a marathon. She lifts her hand to shove the hair from her face and when she brings her hands back, she notices that there is blood on her skin. Blood. She's not surprised and yet, actually seeing it, she feels tears beginning to come. With shaky fingers, she lifts her hands, trying to find out what's bleeding. She finds it almost immediately and she gasps as the deep cut on her cheek stings from the contact.

She can't even see it, but she knows she is going to need stitches.

Gritting her teeth together again, she pulls the rubber-band from her hair and manages to redo her ponytail. She's out of breath and crying by the time she finishes it. And then, with still-shaky fingers, she looks down as she lifts the front of her shirt and the sight only makes her tears continue to fall. So many bruises everywhere. She looks like a peach that's been dropped over and over again on the floor before it starts to leak its juice through its thin, delicate skin.

"You're okay," Beth whispers out loud to herself and it's such a lie, but maybe, by saying the words, she will actually allow herself to believe the words – at least for the time being; long enough for her mind to calm itself down and think of what to do next.

It's just a beating. You're still here. You're stronger than fists or kicks. Your body isn't giving up so you shouldn't give up on your body, she tells herself. Don't give up on Daryl, either. Think of how amazed he is going to be when he sees you again.

Beth forces herself to focus. She doesn't hear anything. No footsteps coming or going. No voices talking.

Leaning forward, she uses the chair for support and she forces herself to her feet. She grinds her teeth together so tightly, but she still lets out a cry of absolute pain, nearly falling forward against the chair. Somehow though, she is able to get herself to her feet. She likes to think that there's an invisible force with her right now, helping her stay standing.

She gets to the door, almost falling against it for support, and her fingers curl around the knob. Locked. Not surprising, but disappointing nonetheless. She pats the pockets of her jeans, finding the bobby pin she had used when she picked the lock to get into the office building with Daryl, and she looks down to the knob. She's going to have to kneel so she's eye level with it, but right now, kneeling is the very last thing she wants to do. But she has to. If she wants to get out of here and stay alive, she's going to have to kneel.

She sniffles and tears are streaming down her cheeks, making the cut on her cheek sting as the salt droplets mix with the blood. It had taken so much to get herself to her feet and now, she's going to have to kneel again. She didn't think ahead. Why did she think she had to get to her feet?

She stares at the bobby pin in between her thumb and finger and she leans her forehead against the door, closing her eyes for a moment. She has to get on her knees. She has to get on her knees and pick the lock. She has to get on her knees, pick the lock and get out of here. One, two, three. Just three steps. That is how she is going to think of it.

Step one, kneel.

Step one, _take a deep breath_ and kneel.

But before Beth can even begin gathering every last bit of strength in her body to do that, she sees the doorknob beginning to wiggle from the other side of the door.

Beth has no idea what to do. She can't think. She stares at the door knob wiggling and then the sound of a key sliding into the lock and all she can do is take a step back. Her brain has completely shut down with fear. She's terrified of who's on the other side of that door, about to come into the room.

Is it Phillip, coming back to ask her a question she won't answer and keep beating her, possibly this time to death? Or is it someone else; another man who will do something more to her to try and get her to talk?

There is no better scenario that Beth can think of it. Either one will end the same way. She's going to die here and it will probably be tonight.

Beth curls her fingers around the bobby pin, clenching it and hiding it in her fist. Maybe, she can make it come faster. Maybe, she'll have a second to stab Phillip in his other eye. If she does, maybe he will be so furious, he will grant her with a quick death. That's all Beth can hope for right now.

She holds her breath as the lock clicks and then the door begins to open. Whoever is pushing it open from the other side is doing it so slowly; as if they're trying to be as quiet and as careful as they possibly can. Are they doing that so not to startle her, thinking she's still crumpled on the floor? Or are they doing that for their own benefit; as if they're not even supposed to be unlocking and opening this particular door?

And when Beth sees who it is, when the person finally opens the door enough to slip into the room, she's certain she's dead already and now she's seeing someone who's dead, too. That's the only explanation. She doesn't know why she would be seeing this particular person, but clearly, this is who God has sent to her. She would have thought, for sure, it would have been her mama, but she's not going to question God if this is who He wants Beth to see instead.

"Beth," the once-familiar woman gasps as soon as she sees Beth standing there, bruised and bloody and beginning to sway on her feet.

But before Beth can say a single word to Andrea, who is standing there, gaping at her as if she, too, can't believe who she's looking at, and ask the woman if they're going to Heaven now, the world around her goes black and Beth feels herself falling.

…

Daryl nearly cries out as Merle helps him to his feet again, but he's able to grind his teeth together and swallow it down. He doesn't want to show Merle just how much he's hurting. It's obvious that he's gotten the shit beat out of him, but still, Merle is his older brother and Daryl's never wanted to be weak in front of him.

"We have to get Beth," Daryl says, out of breath, but every breath he takes hurting him.

"Easy, lil' brother," Merle says, bringing one of Daryl's arms up around his neck so he can hold up on his feet.

Daryl shakes his head. "No waitin', Merle. We gotta get her."

"And we will, but first, I gotta get you out of here before Crawley or someone else comes back."

Daryl knows Merle's right. Someone could come back at any second and see Merle in here, helping him. No one would know they are brothers. All they would see is Merle helping someone he shouldn't be helping. That could wind up being real bad for both of them.

But right now, honestly, Daryl can't think straight like that.

Right now, he can only think about Beth and getting to her. Anything could be happening to her right now. She could be getting beat up like him or something else. Something a girl would have to worry about if it's just her and some asshole in a room, that asshole keeping her there as a prisoner. He has to get to Beth and get her the hell out of here. He can't wait to stop and think logically or come up with a game plan. Right now, his only plan is getting to Beth. As soon as he is holding her hand and can keep his eyes on her, that's when he'll start thinking of something else.

He's falling for this girl. He knows he likes her. He's never wondered about that. He's never liked a girl before like he likes Beth. There had been a girl in high school – the prettiest girl there was, cheerleader, student government, the whole package. Daryl had liked her, but then again, every guy in their school had and Daryl had known he never would have had a shot like her and because he knew, he never even spoke a word to her, knowing there wouldn't be a point to it.

That had been so many years ago and that hadn't even been anything. Just a teenage boy going through puberty fantasizing about the prettiest girl in the school. He can't even remember the girl's name anymore.

With Beth, he can still remember that first time he saw her; really saw her.

It was after the herd coming down on the farm and almost the entire family managing to get away. When their cars had finally stopped on the side of the road, they were all exhausted, bloody and dirty. Daryl had been distracted, trying to keep count of everyone and figuring out what they needed to do. And then Rick had dropped the bombshell of how they were all infected. They had all been confused and even angry. Daryl had found himself standing next to Beth and though he had been staring at Rick, from the corner of his eye, he could see her. She was scared like everyone else, but there was also a look on her face. Betrayal and disbelief. Daryl recognized it because he was feeling the exact same thing towards Rick.

After that, during the winter they drove around without any idea of what they were doing or where they were going, Daryl was busy with keeping everyone safe and fed as best as he could while taking up the role of being at Rick's right hand, stepping in to where Shane used to be. And Daryl was always aware of everyone in the family and where they were at all times and Daryl knew that that winter, Beth was with Lori, the girl always doing her best to keep Lori comfortable and singing songs to her pregnant belly and trying to make Lori smile at least once a day.

And then, there was the boiler room. Bursting into that boiler room with Rick and Maggie to find Lori, Carl, and Beth with a crying baby in Lori's arms – the baby alive and well and Lori alive and well, too – they had all stopped and blinked at the scene. It was something they had all been thinking, but no one had dared actually talk about it out loud. They hadn't had any idea how Lori and the baby were going to survive this birth.

But there they all were and Beth was kneeling there, pausing in her cleaning of Lori up and being responsible for it all.

Daryl had looked at the girl as if he had never seen her before and he knew that in a lot of ways, he hadn't.

And ever since the boiler room, Daryl's been looking at Beth and he doesn't want to stop any time soon.

He likes her like crazy and every day since, he's liking her more and more. He's never had feelings like this for anyone before and that's how he knows what these feelings are. He's heard about feelings like this, but never thought he would ever experience them for himself; didn't even know that he _wanted_ to feel them.

Leave it to Beth. Girl's already done pretty much everything else. She'll probably look at Daryl Dixon falling for her as some kind of walk in the park.

"Is this Gov'nor guy the kind of guy to hurt girls?" Daryl asks, having to know.

Merle looks at him and Daryl knows that his brother knows exactly what he means by "hurt".

And Merle's silence to the question is all the answer Daryl needs.

"We gotta get her, Merle. Can't do anythin' else until we get her."

"Who is this girl?" Merle has to wonder.

Daryl swallows, trying to get some form of saliva forming so it can help his too-dry throat.

He looks right into his brother's eyes. "She's _my_ girl."

…

* * *

 **Damn, this chapter was really hard for me to write, for some reason, but I have finally finished it. Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to comment! Rick and the others are getting into Woodbury in the next chapter and will begin trying to find Beth and Daryl, who both now have help.**


	20. Good Girl

…

Rick goes over first. Michonne opens her mouth to argue when he tells them, but Rick cuts her off with a sharp look and she wisely closes it again before she can say anything.

He is quick and quiet on his feet – not as quick and quiet as Glenn could have been, but there's no way that Rick would send anyone else over this fence without knowing exactly what's on the other side.

There's another small hole in the fence, but it's big enough for him to stick the toe of his boot into it and with a little extra help from Oscar giving him a boost, Rick is able to climb over the top of the fence and drop nearly silent into the grass on the other side.

He goes completely still, holding his breath as well, as he waits and listens. It's quiet. There are torches lit, but no one seems to be patrolling this particular corner; at least not for the moment. He waits another minute though, just in case, but he doesn't hear anyone coming either. It's late and everything seems quiet. After making the decision, Rick reaches back to the fence and crouches down in front of the hole.

"Okay. Quiet as you can," Rick whispers to them.

He then takes a few steps away from the fence to give them all room to get over and he watches the street. One by one, the others climb over and drop down. Oscar is the last to come and first, he drops the bag of guns over, Glenn catching it in his arms, and then the man drops down, Rick pleasantly surprised that a man of Oscar's size could drop as quietly on his feet as he does.

"The police station was a good idea," Rick says as Glenn begins handing out the guns.

Everyone nods; no one argues.

"We'll follow the fence and get a feel for the layout. See how many seem to be on guard tonight," Rick continues. "Police station will be near the center of town. It usually always is. We'll work our way there, but we're going to have be quiet and we can't rush," Rick says the final part with his eyes on Maggie. "The last thing we need is to run and let everyone here within seconds know that we're here."

Maggie pauses and then nods, reluctantly agreeing.

"Once we're closer to the middle of town, we're going to split up. Some will focus on finding Beth. The others will focus on finding Daryl," Rick continues. "No matter who you find first, don't wait for the rest of us. If you have Beth or Daryl, you get them the hell out of here as fast as you can."

Everyone nods at that.

"And what about the people who have them?" Glenn asks.

Rick looks to Maggie again. "We kill anyone who tries to stop us."

This time, Maggie looks relieved at his answer. It's almost frightening to Rick in a way and yet, the speed in which Maggie is prepared to spill blood for her sister, it makes sense as well. Rick has already accepted that he's prepared to do absolutely anything if it means getting Daryl back with them tonight.

He knows for Maggie and Glenn, this isn't a line they've crossed yet. Killing walkers and killing people are two completely different things and Rick knows that this is a burden he and Daryl were prepared to always carry and shoulder for their family. Rick never wanted any of the others to have to be in a situation where killing a living person was the only way out of it.

But here they are. Two of their own have been taken and no one knows what the people here are doing to them. In Rick's mind, by taking Daryl and Beth, killing anyone in this town is the nicest thing Rick could do.

…

Beth wonders how awful she must really look because as Andrea looks at her, the woman is on the verge of tears. She finds herself on the floor and her eyes flutter open, focusing right on Andrea as the woman kneels at her side, leaning over her.

"Andrea," Beth says her name again – no longer a question.

Beth has realized that she's not dead and this isn't Heaven and both she and Andrea are very much alive. That must mean that wherever she is, Andrea is here, too. When the farm fell and they all got separated, was Andrea picked up by these men, too? Has she been here this whole time, being beaten and held prisoner?

But… no, that's not right. Through the one eye that's not swollen shut at the moment, Beth can see that Andrea doesn't look like anyone has ever laid a hand on her. She looks well rested and well fed; well taken care of. Does that mean that she's _with_ Phillip and the others who are here?

And if she is… is she helping Beth right now or is this a trap?

"Who did this to you?" Andrea asks.

"How did you find me?" Beth asks first. There are a million more questions, but Beth feels like perhaps this one is one of the more important ones.

She begins to sit up and Andrea gently helps her, the woman still looking like she wants to cry as she hears Beth hiss with pain through her clenched teeth.

"I saw Phillip's fists and how bruised and bloody they were. It was obvious he was working someone over and I know… I know sometimes, people are kept here."

Beth wants to be angry at her answer, but honestly, she's too tired and in too much pain to feel so.

"So I came to see who he had," Andrea continues and then shakes her head. "I never would dream that… what are _you_ doing here, Beth?"

"I was on a run with Daryl-"

"Daryl's here, too?" Andrea gasps.

Beth continues on. "Crawley forced us back here. They took Daryl somewhere and I've been in here. Phillip-" Beth nearly spits the name out. "-has been trying to get me to tell him where Daryl and I came from."

"Where did you come from? Are the others there?"

Beth doesn't answer her. As far as Beth knows, Andrea is fishing for the same information for the same reason as Phillip had been. As far as Beth knows, Andrea and Phillip are on the same exact page together and that is what Beth is going to keep thinking until she witnesses otherwise with her own two eyes. Well, at the moment, she really only has one eye that can see much of anything, but one eye is just as good as seeing the truth of a situation and who people really are.

"I have to find Daryl," Beth says. "Is he here, too?"

"I don't know," Andrea shakes her head. "This is the first door I've unlocked. But if Daryl is here, I have to find Merle and tell him. He'll help me get you both out of here."

Beth never met Merle, but she's heard plenty about Daryl's older brother. _He's_ here, too? Who else is going to make a surprise appearance? Is Shane not really dead and he's suddenly going to be coming down the street? Despite the world pretty much ending, it really has stayed such a small one.

"Are you going to help me?" Beth is able to ask the only question she can manage to ask right now.

"Of course I am, Beth. _Of course_."

And Andrea is speaking with such strength in her voice, Beth wants to believe her. If Andrea is lying, Beth will find out soon enough, but right now, Beth is going to believe her. There's absolutely nothing she will lose except her very life and she had already prepared herself to lose that.

"Can you stand?" Andrea asks.

"To get out of here? Yes," Beth nods.

Together, they move her slowly, Beth hissing again and refraining from screaming as they get her to her feet. Andrea immediately loops Beth's arm around her neck and she holds Beth around her waist.

"I can't believe he would do this," Andrea is talking to herself, but Beth can hear her.

"Beat a girl?"

"Beat _anyone_. And yes, especially a girl who looks…" Andrea trails off, but Beth doesn't need her to finish.

She knows how she looks. She'll be eighteen in just a few more days, but she very much looks younger than that. Phillip beating on her in such a vicious way, it's pretty obvious that man has a very deep darkness to him that Andrea apparently hadn't known about until this very moment.

Andrea turns Beth so she's still in the room and Andrea is able to poke her head out into the hallway.

"It's clear," Andrea whispers back to her. "There's a door at the end of the hallway. It's going to take us right outside. We're going to move there as quick as you can, but we don't want you screaming, so we're going to get there as fast as _you_ can get us there. Okay?"

Beth nods, taking a deep breath, readying herself.

Andrea pokes her head out again, making sure the coast is clear.

"Let's go," she whispers and then with her arm tight around Andrea's shoulder, Beth steps out of the room and she's still alive to do it.

They move quietly and each step Beth takes, she wants to cry out with the pain of it – it racing through every nerve of her body – but she bites down on her bottom lip and tells herself that with each step, she's that much closer to seeing the prison and her family and Daryl again. She doesn't know where Daryl is or what's happened to him, but she tells herself that she's going to see him again, too. It helps her take each step.

There is still no one coming – Beth wonders where everyone is – and when they reach the door, again, Andrea turns Beth away so Andrea can push it open with her own body and poke her head outside first.

"Jesus Christ!" Beth hears a rough, Southern accent quietly exclaim from outside and Beth can feel Andrea stiffen for a moment.

"It's just me," Andrea quickly tells the voice, whispering.

"You alone?" The voice asks.

"Are you?"

The voice pauses. "Not quite."

Beth imagines that the voice is blocking something and he must move away so Andrea can see because when she does, Andrea gasps sharply.

"Daryl?"

Beth feels something leap in her chest. Did she hear right? Her head is bleeding and she wonders if some blood has drained into her ears, but no. Andrea had definitely said Daryl's name.

"Daryl?" Beth whispers, almost saying the name as if too afraid to say it out loud in case saying it loud makes him disappear altogether.

Andrea looks back down the hallway, sees they are still alone, and then she helps Beth through the door into the dark, cool night. The door is some sort of maintenance door that leads to a narrow paved path that leads into a parking lot. On either side of the path is the green grass and sitting in the grass, hidden in the darkness and leaning against the building, is Daryl.

"Jesus Christ," the voice says again and Beth looks at the source with her one eye. It's too dark outside though and there is no light and her vision hasn't yet adjusted. But whoever he is, he takes her other arm and helps Andrea set her down on the grass next to Daryl.

Despite the pain, Beth turns her body towards Daryl and lifts her hands, putting them on his face, needing to touch him more than she needs to do anything else right then. The contact makes Daryl hiss and she can feel the blood and the swelling. She can't pull her hands away from him though.

"Beth," Daryl says and it sounds as if he's choking on the word. "Beth," he then says again, rasping, and he lifts his hands to her face, Beth's turn now to hiss. "Who did this to you?" Daryl asks and his vision has adjusted already to the darkness and he's able to make out the injuries to her face.

He asks the question in a low voice and even though he can't stand on his own two feet without help right now, that doesn't mean that he's not going to kill whoever did this to Beth.

She shakes her head and he can feel the wetness as she begins to cry.

Daryl pulls her into him and he knows he's hurt her when her breathing stutters, but he can't seem to care and Beth isn't complaining as Daryl tugs her in and wraps both arms around her. He might suffocating her against him, but he can't seem to care about that, either.

He has no idea why the hell Andrea is here, but she is and she and Merle are talking to one another in whispers, but Daryl can't figure out what they're saying. He doesn't really care either as he puts all of his attention on Beth right now as she cries against his neck.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm so sorry."

"What the hell you apologizin' for?" Daryl growls. "You didn't get us caught. I did."

Beth instantly shakes her head. "You didn't. You've never got caught on a run before and the first time I go out on one, I get us both caught."

"Shut up, Beth," Daryl says and he holds her tighter. "You 'ave no idea what you're talkin' about."

He almost makes a comment about how she's been beaten too hard and it's rattled her brain, but Daryl can't form those words on his tongue; as soon as they're formed in his brain, he squashes them out again.

Someone's beaten her. Someone has looked at Beth and was able to beat the absolute shit out of her.

Daryl thinks of his mom and how she looked when she got in the way of Will Dixon when he was going after Merle and then when Merle had left, after him. She always had some bullshit excuse for the neighbors or the staff in the ER even though that's what everyone knew that's what it was. Bullshit. How many times can a doorknob actually open into a person's eye to swell it shut and why would a doorknob be opening into someone's face anyway?

Beth is like his mom was, too. Small. Fragile.

Whoever beat Beth didn't care about that though. Whoever did this to her had beaten her like she's any other man and Beth is here. Beth took everything thing rained down on her and she's still here.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl whispers before he can stop himself.

"What?" Beth pulls her head back enough to look to his face. Like him, one of her eyes is swollen shut so she can only look at him with one eye, but seeing with one eye is enough to be able to see everything that has been done to them by whoever these guys in this place are.

Daryl shakes his head, not wanting to repeat himself. He didn't mean to say it out loud anyway even if he really is wondering that question. Who the hell is this girl? This girl who slit her wrists back on the farm because she wasn't strong enough to face whatever this world became? When did Beth Greene become the strongest _person_ – not just woman – that Daryl has ever met?

Daryl presses a kiss to her forehead, tasting blood and sweat and not caring.

"The man, Phillip, he wanted to know where we came from, but I wouldn't tell him," Beth shakes her head.

"Good girl," Daryl murmurs and his head begins to feel too heavy on his neck. Instead of leaning it back against the brick wall behind him though, he finds himself leaning it forward, his forehead meeting Beth's shoulder, and Beth lifts one of her hands, her fingers curling into his hair on the back of his head.

"Did I do good? Really?" She whispers to him.

"Shit, Beth. You did better than me."

Beth turns her head and kisses his ear and then she's quiet, both of them too wrapped up in each other at the moment to think much of anything else – like how they're going to get out of here, for one. Daryl knows it will be discovered that they're both gone and he figures that that will be pretty damn soon.

"Beth, this is Merle," Andrea says, coming to kneel down in front of them both.

"So you're Beth," Merle gives her a grin. "When we get both of you out of here, I have a few teasin' words to say to you," he tells her.

"Knock it off, Merle," Daryl grumbles, lifting his head to give his brother a glare; not that intimidating of one though and Merle just keeps on grinning.

From the stories Beth has heard about this man – from Maggie and Glenn and the little things Daryl has let past his lips – Beth knows that Merle Dixon isn't necessarily a good man, but she finds herself smiling at him anyway. Good or bad, he's here. He's gotten Daryl and he's now helping them both. Beth can't imagine that this is some gigantic, complicated ruse to trap her and Daryl and hand them back over to Philip.

"We're going to move," Andrea tells them both. "Just like in the hallway, we're going to move as quick as you both can move. We can't have either of you making noise."

"Here," Merle than says and crouching down, he pulls off the zipped sweatshirt he's wearing. "Beth is gonna wear this and pull the hood over your head. Your blonde hair is too obvious and even if they're a distance away, someone might be able to see it."

Beth nods without comment and manages to sit herself up, Daryl moving his arms away from her so Andrea can help her move her arms through the sleeves, Beth clamping down on her bottom lip to keep quiet. Daryl thinks she might have a dislocated shoulder the way she's holding her arm, but he knows why Andrea hasn't popped it back in place and he's not going to offer to do it right now either. If they pop Beth's shoulder back in place, she's going to scream and they just can't have that right now. Daryl hates that he can't even take just a little bit of her pain away.

Once the sweatshirt is on and zipped up and Beth is working on tucking any bit of her hair into the hood she has flipped on over her head, Andrea and Merle stand up. Beth notices that they both have guns and they're drawn as they look around, taking note to see if anyone is coming upon them.

"Beth."

She looks instantly at Daryl when he says her name. He doesn't say anything else and instead, he looks into her one eye with his and he lifts a hand to her cheek.

"If we don't make it…" he begins to say and then swallows; as if he can't believe that he's just said that, but Beth can only nod in agreement. They're not out of here yet – even with Merle and Andrea helping them – and with their severe injuries, they might not ever be out of here.

"I think you're amazin'," Daryl continues. "I need you to know that."

And it even hurts her face to smile, but Beth does it anyway.

She opens her mouth to reply to that – three very specific words for this man on the tip of her tongue – but before even a sound can slip past her lips, the sound of something exploding, something so close, Beth can feel the ground shake beneath them, cuts her off.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to review!**

 **I've also been in a _The Orchard_ mood and am brainstorming an idea for that, coming soon. **


	21. The Great Escape (Maybe?)

**A few notes before. Action is not my strong suit. Nor is writing scenes with many characters in them. Therefore, I feel like I need to apologize in advance for this chapter.**

* * *

…

"What the hell was that?" Rick hisses as Oscar hurries back around the side of the building. They can hear stampedes of footsteps running and voices shouting.

"You said you wanted a distraction," Oscar answers.

Rick blinks at him. "A distraction. Not a blowing a car up kind of distraction."

"Well, you should have been more specific," Oscar retorts and Glenn has to smother a laugh behind his hand.

Rick frowns at them both and both somber immediately. Rick then looks back to Oscar. "They're going to be looking for _someone_ now," he tells the man. "You shouldn't have done it like that."

Oscar swallows and nods. "I'm sorry," he says. "I wasn't expecting it to go that fast."

Rick looks at him for another moment and then gives a single nod. He peeks out from around the corner of the building again to see the fireball of the car and at least a dozen people running towards it, all shouting among each other. It's not necessarily the same distraction he would have used, but he has to admit that Oscar had done what Rick had asked him to do. Cause something that would have everyone's attention so maybe, hopefully, they would be able to move a bit easier throughout the town towards the police station.

He then moves his head back and looks to the others. "Alright. Still move carefully," he tells them though he can't imagine them doing anything else. He looks to Oscar, Maggie, Glenn and… he frowns. "Where the hell is Michonne?" He asks – demands – in a harsh whisper.

Maggie, Glenn and Oscar's heads all whip over to where Michonne had been standing. _Had_. She's gone now. Where the hell did she go? The four begin looking around them as if expecting to see her standing just a few feet away; as if she's stepped away for a bit of personal space. But she's nowhere. She was just here and now, she's disappeared. They were all focused on watching Oscar cause the distraction. That's probably when she slipped away from them. _Why_ had she slipped away?

Rick clenches his jaw shut and he taps his gun against his thigh. He doesn't care. He's not going to care. Right now, his main focus – his _only_ focus – is getting to Daryl and Beth and getting them the hell out of here. Wherever Michonne went, Rick will think about that when he has his family back; if he wants to think about it. If she's led them into a trap, obviously, he'll have to think about that a hell of a lot sooner, but with her injuries, he couldn't believe that she had led them here to trap them.

"What now?" Glenn asks in a harsh whisper.

Rick thinks that over and then shakes his head. "We worry about that later. Daryl and Beth are still the priority. Yeah?"

Everyone nods; not that Rick's expecting an argument.

"Stay behind me. Stay low," Rick tells them and then, without waiting to see if they would do just that – he knows they will, Rick turns and keeping low, begins following the length of the back of the building. He doesn't have to look to know that Maggie and then Glenn and Oscar bringing up the rear is right behind him.

He feels sweat pooling on the small of his back and his heart is pounding in his chest.

He's scared. Rick will never admit it out loud or even show an inkling of that to anyone, but he is. He can't deny it to himself. He's scared because he has no idea who these people are, what this place, where Daryl and Beth are or what is being done to them. It's an easy thing to forget; with dead things walking around, it's so easy to forget just how terrible people can still be.

He holds up his fist as they reach the other end of the building and he stops, everyone stopping behind him. Slowly, Rick pokes his head around the corner to see where to go next and to see if anyone is near them. Oscar's distraction might haven't been the exact distraction Rick was looking for, but he will admit that it certainly has seemed to have done the trick.

But no sooner than he thinks that something might finally be working for them, he sees movement ahead, hiding in the shadows ahead.

"Down," Rick hisses over his shoulder and crouches down to the ground, hearing everyone else do the same.

There's definitely someone ahead and Rick looks, giving his eyes the chance to see into the darkness. There's more than one person. Definitely three. Maybe four. He tries to think of what to do and where to go without them seeing his group like he can see theirs. Or maybe this group has already spotted his and they're currently in the middle of a standoff.

But, Rick wonders, why is this group hiding behind the next building like Rick and his is?

One of the groups has to move first. If not, they're going to be crouching behind these buildings for the rest of the night and that's definitely not something Rick wants. He has to do something. He doesn't know if the other group is armed. He just knows that his is and the need to find two of their own is going to give them reason to walk into anything. It already has.

Rick cocks his gun and he knows the other group has been able to hear it.

"Who the hell is there?" A voice reaches him in the darkness.

There's something about that voice… Rick doesn't know why, but it's familiar to him. He can't exactly place it though. It's like remembering something and you can't decide if it's an actual memory or just a dream. That's how Rick feels when he hears the voice. He knows it and yet, he doesn't know why he knows it so he wonders if he really knows it at all.

"Who is that?" Rick decides to whisper back.

There's a pause and then… "Rick?"

"Beth!" Maggie exclaims softly.

"Maggie!" Rick tries to stop her, but there's no stopping her, he knows, now that she's heard her sister's voice. Rick reaches for her, but Maggie is already past him, rushing towards the other building, not caring if anyone else is around who sees her.

"Oh my God," they can hear Maggie say.

That's it, Rick decides.

Looking back to Glenn and Oscar still behind him, he nods and then all three, still saying low to the ground, hurry from their building to behind the next, and when Rick sees why Maggie has said what she did, he almost falls over.

It is Beth, but there's also Daryl, Andrea and Merle. That's the voice he had heard that had sounded so familiar to him, but couldn't place it. He hasn't heard that voice since Atlanta. But Merle's here. Alive. And Andrea…

"Oh my God," Glenn echoes Maggie and then he hugs Andrea tightly, Andrea smiling and hugging him, too.

Rick slowly moves his eyes to look at Beth and Daryl – and then he almost wishes that he hadn't. He slowly lowers himself in front of Beth and Daryl, both sitting on the ground, leaning back against the building. They've been beaten. Both of them. Beaten and brutalized. It makes Rick's stomach roll and he almost feels sick as he looks over the both of them. They need to get them back to the prison and to Hershel. Fast. They can't take their time anymore. Beth and Daryl don't have the luxury. Both are bleeding and bruised and just sitting there, it's obvious to Rick that they both have broken bones.

"Who the fuck did this?" Rick demands, getting to his feet and turning to glare at Merle.

"Phillip," Andrea is the one to answer after she and Glenn step apart.

"The Governor," Merle adds as if that explains more.

"This town is called Woodbury and Phillip is in charge."

"And why did he do this to Beth and Daryl?" Glenn asks as he kneels down next to Daryl. Oscar hands him a bottle of water they have brought with them in their bag and gently, Glenn brings it to Daryl's lips.

Daryl hisses though and shakes his head, trying to turn it away. It stings the open cuts on his lips too much.

"You got to, man," Glenn tells him softly and Daryl looks at him for a moment before nodding his head just enough for Glenn to bring the bottle back to Daryl's lips and Daryl taking a sip.

Maggie is kneeling on the other side of Beth, tucking hair back into the hood that has slipped out and she's doing her best to not break into tears at the sight of her sister in such a state. The longer Rick looks at Daryl and Beth, the angrier he gets. Blowing a car up wasn't enough. He wants to burn this whole town to the ground – whether there's people here or not.

Phillip or The Governor or whoever the fuck did this isn't going to be living to see the next day.

"He wanted to know where we came from," Beth says, quiet and out of breath – as if just speaking is too tiring for her. Rick wonders if it's hurting her to breathe. She has a broken rib or two. Rick would bet on it. "I wouldn't tell him though so he…" she trails off and waves a hand over her body.

" _He_ did this to you?" Maggie's voice is low.

Beth nods her head and doesn't speak again. Maggie gets to her feet and whirls around to look at Andrea.

"A man did this to my sister?" Maggie demands.

Andrea opens her mouth to speak, but Rick can't help, but cut in.

"How the hell did you get here?" Rick demands.

They don't have time for a long story – they all know they don't – so Andrea gives them the cliffs-notes version. Of getting separated that night they lost the farm, of running through the woods, of being saved by a woman and the two wandering around for the next few months. Of being found by Phillip and his guys and being brought here, of deciding to stay here.

"You're sleeping with him," Glenn is the one to frown at her and Glenn isn't the sort to pass judgement so when he does, the person feels immediately guilty – Andrea no exception.

She looks down to the ground to avoid their eyes and sighs softly. "He was a good man. I _thought_ he was." She lifts her eyes to look at them again. "Not anymore."

Oscar has been standing at the end of the building, looking around and keeping watch. He looks back to Rick now. "That car isn't going to distract everyone forever."

Rick nods and looks to Merle this time. "How do we get them out of here?"

"You're gonna have to follow me," Merle tells him.

Rick hesitates. He can't help it. All he knows of Merle is what he saw on that roof in Atlanta. This might be Daryl's older brother and Rick considers Daryl to be as close to a brother as he has now, but he can't imagine Daryl and Merle having _anything_ in common. If they did, Daryl wouldn't be a part of their group anymore.

"Rick," Daryl speaks up and Rick's eyes go down to him. "Trus' him."

Rick looks back to Merle. There's no other choice, he knows. He has to get Beth and Daryl out of here. Finally, he nods his head. "Alright," he agrees. "But don't do anything to make me cuff your other wrist."

…

Oscar carries Beth. It's easier and faster. They'd carry Daryl, too, if there was some way for them to.

"Am I too heavy?" Beth asks Oscar as they move to hide behind the next building.

"Girl," Oscar gives her a look and Beth feels herself smiling.

She doesn't know if it's the truth, but right now, she's going to tell herself that she's safe. Rick, Maggie, Glenn and Oscar are here and with Andrea and Merle, they are all working on getting her and Daryl out of here. She knows that they aren't going to let anything else happen to either of them and they'll die first. Hopefully, they will all get safely out of here before it reaches that point though.

She knows they would argue with her, but Beth doesn't think she's someone worth anyone dying over.

In front of her and Oscar, Glenn is walking with Daryl, helping Daryl, and Beth wishes that someone was able to carry Daryl, too. He's just as – if not more – beaten up than she is. He shouldn't have to walk, but Beth knows that there's no other option at the moment.

"Wai'," Daryl grunts and Glenn immediately stops.

"Rick," Glenn hisses and then helps Daryl to sit down on the ground. "You okay?" He then asks Daryl.

Daryl nods, but his eyes are closed and his teeth are clenched and obviously, he's not okay at all.

Beth doesn't have to ask Oscar. She just looks at him and he bends down, setting her down next to Daryl.

"Hey," she says to him quietly.

Daryl looks to her and she gives him a small smile. She wants to kiss him – her chest aches with just how much she wants to kiss him – but she knows that now isn't the time. There's too many people around right now and they have to get out of here. And she thinks that maybe Daryl won't want to kiss her anyway. He told her that he thinks she's amazing and he told her that this isn't all her fault, but Beth can't help, but think if that's what he really thinks or if that's what he's just telling her to make her feel better in this situation.

"Hey," Daryl says back and Beth tries to think of something to say to him that would make him feel better.

She wants to tell him those three words again – the three words that had been on the tip of her tongue, but she hadn't said earlier. They're still there, whether this is the time to say them or not.

"Hey, man," Rick crouches down in front of them both. "We just have a little bit to go. Merle and Andrea said that there's a truck we can climb up and get over that way."

Daryl shakes his head at that. "Not me."

"What?" Merle frowns, having overheard, and comes to crouch down next to Rick to look at his brother.

"Not me," Daryl says again. "I can barely walk. How the hell you expect me to climb over anythin'?"

"We'll figure it out when we get there," Rick tells him, but Daryl shakes his head.

"No. You get Beth and you get her out of here and you're gonna leave me behind," Daryl tells them all.

"Daryl," Beth immediately begins to say.

"What the fuck you talkin' about?" Merle demands at the same time.

Rick and Daryl stare at one another and Rick doesn't say anything. His jaw is clenched so tightly though, they can all see the muscles in his face twitch.

"Daryl, we're not leaving you," Beth says, turning more towards him despite the pain in her body to do so. " _I'm_ not leaving you."

Daryl stares at her and doesn't say anything to that. Beth stares at him, too, not looking away; letting him know that she's not looking away from him for anything. Leave him? That doesn't even make sense. Yes, she knows that climbing over anything – for the both of them – seems pretty impossible right now, but they can do it. As long as they're together, they can do it. Look what they've already survived. What's just a little bit more after everything they've already managed to survive?

"Listen to me, lil' brother," Merle says and slowly, Daryl turns his head away from Beth to look to Merle. "You get that shit idea out of your head right now. No one is leavin' anyone."

The man looks at Rick from the corner of his eye after saying that, but whether Rick or not knows more to Merle's words, the man doesn't let on.

"We're getting you both out of here and we're both getting you home," Rick tells Daryl.

Beth takes one of Daryl's hands and holds onto it, squeezing it as gently as she possibly can, but still giving it a squeeze so he knows she's here.

"Drink," Glenn says, offering the water bottle – first to Beth and then to Daryl, both taking sips without protest though both hiss when the liquid hits the open cuts on their lips.

"Merle, come with me," Andrea suddenly speaks.

"You're leaving us?" Maggie exclaims as quietly as she can and Beth notices the way her older sister's fingers tighten around the handle of her gun. Beth wonders if Maggie would actually shoot Andrea right now and then she knows she doesn't have to wonder. Maggie is visibly furious right now and when Maggie is like this, there's no say as to what she will – or won't – do.

"I'm not leaving any of you," Andrea assures them. "But you're going to stay here, let them rest and Merle is coming with me. We're going to talk to Phillip."

"And tell him what?" Rick wants to know. "Just ask him to let all of us out of here?"

"Yes," Andrea says.

Merle snorts. "Blondie, that's not gonna happen and you know it. There's only one way we're gettin' out of here." He looks to Oscar. "You a big guy. You can help."

"No," Rick shakes his head. "I want Oscar to stay with Beth and keep watch over her and Daryl. I'll go."

Merle frowns, looking like he wants to protest. Spending any more time with Officer Friendly than he has to – even if this comes down to saving his brother's life – isn't exactly something he wants to do.

"No one has to find me. I'm right here."

All of their heads whip around to see that Phillip is standing there, smiling at them all. He's not alone either. There's six other men with him, all with guns and all aiming them at the other group. Just seeing the man again, the man who had beat her so viciously, Beth can't stop herself. She begins to shake. And still holding his hand, Daryl is able to feel it. He squeezes her hand, not able to say anything to her, and he tries to move his body closer to hers, but now that he's sitting down again, Daryl feel like he can't move himself again even with guns trained on him and the rest of his family. He hates that he can't give her any kind of comfort right now. He hates that face-to-face with the man who did this to her, Daryl can't even move.

"Phillip, what did you do?" Andrea asks him, her voice a mixture of anger and disbelief; still having a hard time accepting that this man had beat Beth as he had.

"I was protecting our home, Andrea," Phillip tells her. "You understand that. Protecting Woodbury is how all of us stay safe. You know that."

"We don't beat or kill people," Andrea says. "You don't beat a seventeen-year-old girl, Phillip."

"In this world, we do things that have to be done," Phillip shrugs unapologetically.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Maggie snaps at him and raises her gun, directing it right towards his head.

The other men with Phillip all have their guns raised and Beth recognizes Shumpert with them. He has a gun yet she notices that he's not pointing it at anything. It's raised, but Beth can tell that if he fires it, the bullet will sail right past Glenn, not hitting anything.

"Maggie," Rick says, trying to get her to stop.

Phillip just smiles. "Now, how about you all come with me. I think I will want to talk to…" he pauses and then his one eye lands on Rick, easily able to pick him out as the leader. "You."

Rick stares at him, the muscles twitching in his jaw again.

"And Merle, I'm going to have Crowley speak with you," Phillip adds.

"I'm sure you will," Merle sneers at Phillip as Crowley, standing nearby, snickers.

"And how about we take Beth and this hellcat," Phillip gives Maggie a smile as she keeps her gun trained on the man's head. "-and let a couple of these guys take them somewhere more private."

"You asshole," Glenn snaps and starts to come forward, but after just a couple of steps, one of Phillip's men takes his gun and slams it right into Glenn's gut, Glenn falling, clenching his middle.

"Hey! Hey!" Rick shouts. "Stop this! You want to talk? We'll talk," he tells Phillip. "But you're not going to do anything more to my people."

Phillip looks Rick up and down before looking back into his face. "Don't know if you realize this, but my people seem ready to fight more than yours."

Rick opens his mouth to respond to that, but everyone freezes when suddenly, the end of a katana breaks right through Phillips gut from behind. Phillip has the face of surprise for a moment, having no idea what has happened, and he looks down to see the blade protruding from his body. He then turns his head and he – and everyone – look to see Michonne standing right behind him, having snuck up when everyone had been too distracted, staring everyone down.

"You sure his people don't seem ready to fight?" Michonne asks the man before she slides her katana in deeper so nearly the entire blade goes through the man's body and comes out the other side.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to leave a comment. Let's be honest. The Governor should have been handled that quickly on the show.** **MUCH more Daryl/Beth in the next chapter.**


	22. Key to Everything

…

"The night gradually darkened and thickened. The tall almost empty house for once had fallen silent, filled with shadows, even after Minnie had lighted the lamps on the cedar staircase where Venus, with one hand strategically placed upon her marble belly, gazed through the landing window at her namesake pendant above the dim lawns. It was a few minutes past eight o'clock. Mrs. Appleyard, playing patience in her study, with one ear cocked for the sound of the drag coming up the gravel dive, decided to ask Mr. Hussey to step inside for a glass of brandy… there was still enough left in the decanter since the Bishop of Bendigo had lunched at the college-"*

"This is boring!" Carl suddenly breaks in and then looks to Oscar. "Why did you pick this one?" He frowns.

"Because it was my turn to pick," Oscar frowns right back at him.

Maggie stops reading from the book at Carl's outburst and looks to her sister lying in the bed. It has been a week now and Beth has been in and out of sleep in that time. Her body underwent a severe trauma, Hershel has told them all, and it needs time to heal itself. Maggie understands that. She does. She just wishes Beth's body would pick up the pace – just a little.

Daryl had been right. Moving them for too far, for too long, wasn't just going to work and Woodbury had a medical wing, the group able to get them both there before they collapsed. None of them had liked the idea of being here longer than they had to be, but they had had little options. Glenn and Maggie had driven back to the prison to let their family know that Daryl and Beth were alright – more or less – and then they had brought Hershel back to Woodbury with them, not trusting the doctor in Woodbury, not knowing if he had been on the Governor's side or not.

Daryl had been able to get out of his bed about two days earlier. His walking is still slow and his bruises aren't all faded, but he's in one piece and still alive and that's all that matters. He can only be out and about for a little bit of time though before he's exhausted and has to lay down again. Living on top of one another for so long, they have all seen the scars on Daryl's back at one time or another, but none of them ever mention it. Maggie hates to think that Daryl has recovered a bit more quickly than Beth has simply because his body already knows what it's like to take a beating.

As Maggie watches her sister and Carl and Oscar continue bickering about the books they read for book club – Carl, of course, wants to read the next _A Song of Ice and Fire_ book and Oscar is reminding him that they take turns picking the books and right now, it's not Carl's turn – Maggie thinks she sees Beth's eyes beginning to flutter. It's a different flutter than what people have while they're asleep, dreaming.

This fluttering makes Maggie sit up straight in her chair and lean towards the bed, her hand sliding over Beth's. "Beth?" She says quietly.

Beth's eyes continue to move and then slowly, her lids begin to flutter open.

"Hey," Maggie smiles, still speaking quietly.

"I heard arguing," Beth says, her voice raspy.

"That was us," Oscar answers, already standing up to get her a cup of water, returning a moment later with it. Together, Oscar holds the cup to her lips and Maggie helps Beth hold her head off the pillow just enough so she'll be able to take a sip without choking. "Carl's being a brat," Oscar adds once Beth is settled again.

"I was not," Carl looks at the man, affronted that Oscar would even _suggest_ such a thing. He looks to Beth then. "He chose the most boring book this week."

"I think it's lovely," Beth smiles. "There was a movie made off of this book. It was supposed to be lovely, too."

"Wonder if the movie's boring, too," Carl grumbles.

Maggie rolls her eyes, still looking to Beth, and Beth gives her a smile.

"How do I look?" Beth wonders.

"Lovely," Maggie says with a smile and without hesitating. Beth smiles a little, too.

And though she knows Beth thinks she's just teasing, Maggie absolutely means it. The swelling of her face has gone down – thank God for that – and the bruises are fading. There is a cut on her cheek that is also healing and it's going to leave a small scar behind, but if anyone thinks that will hinder Beth's looks, they don't know what the hell they're talking about. If that scar does anything, it shows that her baby sister is tough as shit and a survivor and _nothing_ can take Beth Greene out.

As Maggie has sat at her sister's bedside for these past few days, she has tried to put herself in Beth's position and Maggie always comes to the same conclusion. She knows she wouldn't have been able to survive the kind of beating that Beth had.

Beth looks to the empty bed next to hers. "Where's Daryl?" She asks.

"Walking," Maggie answers. Ever since Daryl's been able to get out of bed, he's been trying to walk as much as he can; physical therapy. "We'll go get him." Maggie stands up and leans over to drop a light kiss onto Beth's forehead. "Do you need anything else?" She asks.

 _Just Daryl_ is one the tip of Beth's tongue, but she stops herself before letting it out. Maggie gives her a small smile and it's almost like she already knows somehow that that was what Beth had been wanting to say.

"I think it might be time for lunch. You hungry?" Maggie asks and Beth nods.

"We'll be back, Beth," Oscar promises as he and Carl also stand up. "I wanna get through this chapter and then have _Carl_ read the next one."

"I'm going to take a book club vote once we're home. You shouldn't be allowed to pick the books anymore," Carl retorts back and their bickering continues as they leave the room.

Maggie rolls her eyes, but Beth is smiling.

"Home," she whispers as if the word is too good and too holy to speak louder than that.

It makes Maggie smile. "Soon," she promises.

She leaves the room and glancing over her shoulder once more, she sees that Beth's eyes are closed again, but there's still the smile across Beth's lips.

…

Daryl's not really feeling a sit-down meeting, but he knows there's no choice in the matter.

He sits on Rick's right and Hershel sits on his left and across the table, Andrea and a guy named Martinez sits to her right another guy, a bookish nerd looking type, Milton, sits on her left. Both Martinez and Milton, apparently, had been two of the Governor's top guys and now, between them and Andrea, the three seem to be running this place since that lady, Michonne, ran her katana right through that asshole's body.

Merle is there, too, but he's not sitting. He's leaning against the wall next to the door, just watching and listening, being quiet for once in his life.

The others – Axel, Lori and Anne, Carol and Glenn – are all back at the prison while everyone else is here, waiting for Daryl and Beth to be back on their feet enough to be able to go home again. That day can't come soon enough, in Daryl's opinion. He hates this place – and not just because he and Beth almost died here. This place – this picture-perfect little town filled with families and kids and old people and lined with armed patrol – it doesn't feel real. The world has changed and these people think they can still have this little town that reminds them of a time when the world hadn't changed.

It gives Daryl the willies, to be honest.

"Alright, so we get one of your roosters and one of your chickens and a couple of the horses, and we'll give you all of the extra blankets that we can spare," Rick is reading off of a list he and Andrea have worked on.

None of them have told Andrea, or anyone else in Woodbury, about the prison and they're not going to. None of them need to know. That prison is for their family and it's going to stay theirs. Merle is going to be leaving Woodbury to come back with Daryl and the others once they get out of here, but not even Merle knows where he's going. Daryl will tell him when they're on the way and it's not like he doesn't trust his brother. He just knows that Merle likes to run his mouth a lot and the prison needs to stay a secret.

All Rick has told Andrea and the other two is that they have a good supplies of things to exchange.

"And we wan' one of your pigs," Daryl speaks up and from the corner of his eye, he sees Rick glancing at him, but Daryl keeps his eyes on Andrea.

"What do we get in return?" Milton asks.

"Nothin'. Beth and me almost died 'cause of your people. Seems fair that you give us a pig for our troubles."

Martinez looks at him for a moment – silent and steady – and Daryl looks at him with the same. Daryl doesn't know this guy from anyone else, but he gets a feeling. He thinks that Martinez was to the Governor what Daryl is to Rick and it makes Daryl wonder why Martinez hasn't tried to kill any of them for the Governor dying. Maybe the guy was even worse than what Daryl had seen.

Martinez then leans into Andrea and whispers something in her ear.

Andrea seems to think that through and then nods her head before looking to Rick, Daryl and Hershel.

"Our pigs are the most precious thing we have at the moment and our sow, she's pregnant. We can give you one of her little piglets when they're born, but we can't give you our pig. But," she rushes on to continue, half-expecting Daryl to flip the table in anger at the rejection. "We're prepared to give you two of our goats – male and female. That way you can have milk."

Daryl is quiet and glances to Rick. They have shelves and shelves of powdered milk, but that won't last forever and fresh goat's milk isn't something to turn their nose up at.

"You have goats to spare?" Rick asks, unable to hide the slight edge of disbelief from his tone.

Damn willies, Daryl thinks.

"Woodbury had an impressive farm and we've been able to keep it going," Milton is the one to answer. He then glances at Daryl before back to Rick; as if he's too nervous to be looking at Daryl for too long. "And Daryl is correct. Two of our goats for what Phillip did."

"And a piglet when they're born?" Rick adds.

"And a piglet when they're born," Andrea agrees and she and Rick shake on it.

A knock on the door has everyone turning their heads and Merle pushes himself off from the wall to answer it. Poking his head out for only a second, he takes a step back, opening the door wider for Maggie come in. Daryl instantly sits up a bit straighter in his chair and Maggie comes right to him.

"Beth's asking to see you," she whispers to him.

Daryl nods and slowly, begins to stand up, Rick instantly helping him get on his feet. Daryl's grateful, but at the same time, he absolutely hates it; can't even stand up without getting help like he's the Lil' Asskicker, ready to take his first steps.

"Got it?" Rick asks and Daryl gives a nod.

"Thanks."

Merle doesn't ask if he needs help and he never would when other people are around. Dixons don't ask for help when other people are around to hear that they need help. Instead, Daryl walks slowly towards the door with Merle and Maggie and only once they are outside and the door has closed behind them does Merle's arm find his brother's waist, holding him up. Daryl does everything he can to just not sag heavily against him.

"Can't believe you got one of those pigs," Merle says as they begin walking – slowly – back towards the Woodbury Medical Building.

This is another thing Daryl can't stand. Hershel has told him not to push himself and don't rush his body, but God damn it, Daryl is ready to push. He's sick of taking things slow; taking _everything_ slow.

"You talk to Milton, he talks 'bout those pigs like they're the damn key to startin' the world again."

Daryl smirks a little at that, but doesn't say anything; too busy concentrating on his walking because that's something he now has to do. That Governor is lucky Michonne already ran him through with her sword because if she hadn't, the ways Daryl would have killed the man would have been _nice_ and _slow_.

"We have a pig?" Maggie asks from Daryl's other side. She's not helping him walk, but Daryl knows that if he stumbles, Maggie will be right there to help Merle catch him. "What else did you get?"

"Chickens, couple a' horses and pair of goats. Male and female of everythin' so they can breed," Merle is the one to answer her and Maggie's eyes widen in amazement.

"Had to make sure we got eggs. Beth's birthday's comin' up and Carol's bakin' her a cake from a mix. Gotta have eggs for those mixes," Daryl grunts.

He can see Maggie smile and Merle rolling his eyes, but he knows that his brother doesn't mean it. Too much.

"Can you make it the rest of the way?" Maggie asks as they step into the medical building; the room Daryl and Beth have been staying in is the first room on the left. There had been an attempt to put them in separate rooms when it was agreed they would be staying here to recover, but Daryl had raised Holy Hell over that at the idea of being separated from her again.

"Yeah," Daryl gives a nod and slowly, Merle pulls himself away, hesitating and making sure that Daryl is able to stand on his own and after swaying for just a second, Daryl is standing without someone's help.

"Merle and me are gonna go get lunch for you and Beth and bring it back," Maggie promises and then grabbing Merle's shirt, she tugs him roughly from the building.

"What the hell, woman?" Daryl can hear Merle barking.

It takes Daryl longer than he would like, but he finally has shuffled to the door and pushes it open after knocking quietly on it. Beth is in the bed she's been in for the past week, sitting up slightly, her head turned on the pillow enough for her to look out the window. Maggie helps her with her hair every morning and today, it's in a braid brought over her shoulder.

For getting the shit kicked out of her, Beth Greene is so damn pretty to him, Daryl has felt – more than once – that he's going to swallow his damn tongue when around her. Well, she's always been pretty and maybe seeing her recovering from such a beating and seeing with his own eyes just how strong she is, that's why she seems even prettier to him; if Beth Greene being even prettier to him is even possible.

Upon hearing the knock and then the door push open, Beth turns her head and as soon as she sees him, she gives him a smile that makes his heart sputter.

"Hi," she greets him with that smile and in a soft voice that reaches his ears like a gentle spring breeze.

"Hey," Daryl comes into the room and closes the door behind him.

He makes sure he doesn't turn back towards her too quickly. He's discovered that if he turns too quickly these days, he gets dizzy and just about falls into whatever wall is closest.

"How you feelin'?" He asks, coming to her bed and easing himself down into the chair next to it.

"Really good, actually," Beth says with a slight nod of her head. "I almost feel human again."

"'s great," he gives her a little smile and she smiles, too.

Daryl looks at her hand lying on the bed, on top of the covers. He wants to take hold of it. He wants to hold onto it and feel her skin against his. He's been too scared to touch her over the past few days, since they've been in this room, and he knows Beth's not stupid and he knows that Beth has figured it out.

He's not scared because he thinks it will hurt Beth since her bruises are like his; fading, but still there; her body like his and sometimes, still feeling that sharp stab of pain from even the smallest movement. The last thing Daryl ever wants to do is hurt this girl – whether that be through a touch or any other way.

"Are you angry with me?" Beth asks and his eyes fly up to look at her.

"Why the hell would I be mad at you?" He asks her, unable to keep the frown from his face.

She shrugs though he knows that she knows exactly what she means. "I know you said you don't blame me-"

"And I don't." He keeps frowning. "What the hell did you do that would make me blame you? Could 'ave happened to anyone out on that run. Could 'ave happened to Rick or Glenn and Maggie if they were the ones out there. We were jus' at the wrong place at the wrong time and that's no one's fault 'cept the assholes who took us."

"Then why won't you hold my hand if you're not mad at me?" Beth wonders.

Daryl almost sucks in a breath at her question. This girl's too smart for him and he has to wonder if this is how it will always be between them – he trying to keep things from her and Beth able to figure them out anyway. No one's ever been able to read him. Not even Merle. Carol likes to think that she can, but she's never been able to scratch even the surface of him. So how the hell is Beth able to get further inside of him than anyone else before her has?

He looks at her as he thinks over the question though he guesses he really doesn't have to. Not that hard to figure out; not even for someone like him.

Beth's able to get further inside of him than anyone else before her because he's let her.

Simple as that.

Daryl doesn't say that. Maybe that's another thing he doesn't have to say because Beth's already figured it out. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if she's asked the question when already knowing the answer.

Daryl doesn't say anything. Instead, he leans forward a little in his seat and he looks his eyes into Beth's. She smiles, faintly – hesitantly – as if hoping that he's going to do what she wants him to do.

And he wants to, too.

Taking his hand, Daryl slides it over Beth's and as soon as he does, both seem to exhale a held breath at the same time. Beth's smile is still small, but infinitely times brighter and Daryl smiles; a little one, but just as genuine. It feels damn good to be feeling her again.

…

* * *

 **A few notes: First, thank you so, so much for reading and please take a moment to comment.**

 **Woodbury was the climax in this story and now that they've made it through, this story is winding down. In the next chapter, Beth and Daryl - and the others - will be back at home in the prison. Also, in the show - before the writers decided to just kill her - there was talk that Andrea would take over leading Woodbury. That story idea was obviously scraped so I've decided to** **resuscitate** **it for this story.**

 **(*) Also, the book Maggie is reading from at the beginning is _Picnic at Hanging Rock_ by Joan Lindsay - one of my favorites and a great book and if you've read it, it is funny that big, ex-prison Oscar would pick it out of all of the books to read for book club. **


	23. Birthday Girl

**I know I haven't updated this story in a while, but honestly, I didn't know if anyone wanted me to. Daryl and Beth is slowly dying (I've been in enough pairing fandoms to recognize the signs), and I just thought that my Daryl/Beth stories have run their course. But people have been asking for updates and clearly _wanting_ updates and though I never thought this would be a story past the initial one-shot, I really fell in love with telling it and I wanted to tell it until the end. So here is the next chapter! Thank you to those who have wanted it and I hope you like it!**

* * *

…

"Happy birthday, Beth! Happy birthday to you!"

The singing is purposely loud and off key, but it makes Beth laugh and tear up nonetheless. The candle in the chocolate cake in front of her is flickering, waiting, and closing her eyes – saying a quick wish though she feels as if she already has everything she could want – Beth leans forward and blows it out, everyone cheering.

Beth opens her eyes again and when she does, she looks to Daryl sitting next to her. He gives her a smile and she beams in return. Carol reaches from the other side of the table and carefully pulls the candle out.

"We'll need this for other birthday cakes," she tells everyone.

Other birthday cakes because they have chickens and powdered milk and cake mixes, but more than that, they have a family with birthdays. No one says it out loud, but having to keep the candle for the other cakes to come is one of the best things any of them have ever heard.

"Presents!" Maggie is the one to exclaim from Beth's other side and as Lori and Carol move the cake to another table to begin cutting it up, Maggie pushes one of the presents in front of Beth.

"I don't need anything," Beth begins to shake her head, reminding everyone of what she has already said to them; several times.

"You only turn eighteen once, Bethy," Hershel reminds her with a smile.

"Open it!" Maggie urges her on, clearly more excited for the present than Beth. "It's from me and daddy."

A throat clearing makes both Maggie and Beth turn their heads to see Axel frowning at Maggie with his arms crossed over his chest and Maggie rolls her eyes, looking back to Beth.

"Axel helped oiling it up," Maggie amends and now Axel smiles.

Beth can't help, but let out a laugh as she begins to unwrap whatever is beneath the cupcake wrapping paper; taking care in unwrapping, thinking they need to save the wrapping paper for other birthdays, too.

When she finally exposes the gift, Beth can't help, but smile the instant she sees it. "Where did you find this?" She asks as she picks it up, carefully flipping open the lid. The tiny pink ballerina inside stands at attention and Beth touches it with a light finger.

There's absolutely no way that it's the one from her bedroom; the one she had had since she was a little girl and had had a place on her dresser in her farmhouse bedroom, but she looks on the bottom anyway for her initials B.G. in black permanent marker. They aren't there.

She turns the small handle on the back of the box and then, to quiet, tinkling music, the ballerina spins and Beth watches it for a moment, feeling tears she can't explain rush into her eyes. "I love it. Thank you so, so much," she looks to her sister, daddy and Axel and all smile at her.

"Next," Glenn says, pushing his slightly, oddly shaped-wrapped present to her.

Beth laughs and carefully sets the music box aside before, once again, carefully unwrapping the gift and when she sees what it is, she laughs again. "Glenn, you got me a garden gnome," she laughs and everyone is grinning and chuckling, too, and the sight of the portly statue in blue with a red hat. "I absolutely love it."

She hugs her brother-in-law, still laughing, and Glenn is beaming, obviously proud of himself.

"Happy birthday, Beth," Carol says, holding out a wrapped gift as Lori begins handing out pieces of cake.

"I thought the cake was my present," Beth blinks, surprised. Carol just smiles and pushes the gift into her hand. Unwrapping it, Beth sees the wooden-handled soft-bristle hair brush; a flower design carved into the handle. "Oh, I love it, Carol," she sighs when she sees it and then hugs Carol tightly. The pick combs they have are absolutely fine and definitely work, but sometimes, Beth just wants to brush her hair without feeling like she's pulling it from the roots in her head.

"Our turn," Merle declares, his mouth full of cake, looking to Oscar.

When it came to Merle, there had been a discussion, but not much of one. He was Daryl's brother and Daryl had been looking for him for this long and there was no way Merle was going to stay in Woodbury any longer after when they did to his baby brother and his brother's girl; he didn't care if Andrea and Milton were the ones running the place now.

And after the help Merle had given to get Daryl and Beth out of there, whatever had happened between Merle and the earlier Atlanta group is staying there; back in the past, in Atlanta.

Daryl isn't the sort to show things like full-fledged actual happiness and excitement, but the family all know Daryl well enough to know that that is exactly how he is feeling with his brother being back here, in the prison, with them. All of them are getting a kick out of watching Merle and Axel, both, shamelessly flirt with Carol, one always trying to up the other and the woman having no idea what to do about it.

Merle and Oscar both leave the common room for the moment to go back into the cell block and Daryl slips one of his hands over Beth's eyes.

"You're gonna wanna be surprised," Daryl tells her and Beth smiles.

Beth can hear Oscar and Merle come back into the common room and then something is set down on the floor and it sounds heavy.

"Alright, Beth," Oscar says and Daryl's hand falls away.

It takes a moment for Beth to actually see what Oscar and Merle have gotten her and when her mind registers it, she gasps.

"What…" she begins to say, but then can't say anything. She looks to Daryl and then to Maggie before to everyone else and then to Merle and Oscar, standing with their present and smiling, looking quite pleased. Beth stands up. "I didn't tell anyone…"

"You've been usin' an overturned bucket," Oscar is the one to shrug. "Figured it's something you wanted."

Beth approaches the nightstand and her hand reaches out to run over the smooth, sanded down top. She then looks to Merle and Oscar again. "Did you make this?" She asks them.

"Yep," Merle is grinning. "Prison got a wood-shop and Oscar and me, both, know our way around one."

Beth feels tears flooding her eyes, unable to say anything as she looks over the wooden nightstand, pulling open the small drawer they had built into it as well.

"We didn't paint it. Figured you'd might want to do that yourself," Oscar adds.

"It's beautiful," Beth says and then throws her arms around Oscar, hugging him hard and tight, and Oscar pats her on the back before Beth goes to give the same hug to Merle, the man looking a bit startled by the affection and then definitely uncomfortable by it.

Daryl gently pulls Beth back from his brother - later, he'll tell Merle that he'll have to get used to it because Beth's a hugger - as the others crowd around the nightstand to look it over for themselves, all complimenting Merle and Oscar on their carpentry skills.

Beth can't take her eyes off of it. She has a nightstand now, just like she has been wanting, but didn't tell anyone because she thought it was too silly, but her family knew and two of them took it upon herself to build her very own.

She knows it's just a nightstand, but it's more than that. For so long, she felt like she was invisible; just another person that had to be kept fed and safe; another head to count and nothing more than that. Even after the boiler room and helping Lori through her labor of Anne, Beth had been so desperate to show everyone that she was just as important and useful as everyone else.

One of her greatest fears has always been that she was invisible.

But that's not true at all. This birthday party shows that. The cake and the presents and this nightstand. It shows Beth how much she is loved and how much she matters and how she's nothing close to being invisible.

Beth wants to cry because this isn't _just_ a nightstand.

"You okay?" Daryl asks from beside her, his voice soft.

Beth looks at him and she knows he can see the tears in her eyes, but she gives him a bright smile and a nod of her head. Daryl gives her the littlest smile before he slips a hand on her back and kisses her on the temple.

"One more, Beth!" Carl exclaims a minute later, obviously excited. "It's from mom, dad, me and Annie."

Beth smiles as Carl all but pushes the package into her hands. It's soft, she can feel. Perhaps even squishy.

Intrigued, she carefully pulls the paper away and when she sees what it is, she actually screams with excitement. She can't help it. "Oh my God!" She shouts and thankfully, Rick is holding Anne because Beth throws her arms around Lori's shoulders, bouncing up and down as she hugs her, and Lori begins laughing, hugging her back and almost bouncing herself from Beth's enthusiasm.

"Wha' is it?" Merle asks, his mouth full with cake once again.

And once Carl holds up the present so everyone can see, everyone understands Beth's reaction.

"Ah," Hershel nods knowingly, chuckling as Beth is now bouncing and hugging Rick and Anne.

"Think you've been replaced, Daryl," Glenn grins.

Daryl just smirks and doesn't say anything, knowing that it's probably true. Despite how close they are and everything they've been through together, Daryl knows that he just can't compare to a bag of Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee Medium Pike Place Roast.

…

"I didn' want you to think I didn' get you anythin' for your birthday," Daryl tells her a little while later.

With the birthday party finished – and every crumb of the cake completely gone – everyone has gone off to resume what they would usually be doing; cleaning or guard duty or working in their garden. Daryl and Beth have gone for a walk; around the prison to the far side away from everyone else. The wall had fallen some time ago, and that's next on their long list of things that need to be seen to. For now, they have gathered every fallen brick and have put up spare chain-link fence they have found in one of the maintenance sheds. They're going to fix it better over the next few days; Rick told everyone that that's what they have to see to before they see to anything else; their fence and making sure the whole of it is strong and secure.

They still haven't told Andrea or anyone else from Woodbury where they are. The only one who knows – besides Merle – is Michonne, but the woman had been so dehydrated and exhausted, she has said that she can't remember even if she wanted to; that's what she says, anyway, and none of the others in the prison have a reason to be suspicious of her; not after what she did for all of them and taking care of the Governor like she did.

Rick knows that he can tell Andrea and trust her, but at the same time… he likes that it's just their family here. It's a massive place, yes, and they can easily house so many more people, but Rick admits – and the rest are in agreement – he just doesn't want to. This is _theirs_. They fought for this place and were the ones to clean it up and have worked in making it their home. They will continue trading with Woodbury, but that will be Rick and Daryl and the others going to Woodbury and no one else ever – _ever_ – coming here.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Daryl," Beth reminds him. " _No one_ had to get me anything."

Daryl smirks at that. "Noticed you're still holding that coffee like you would be holdin' Anne."

Beth breaks into a grin and looks down to the bag in the crook of her arm. "Well… it's _coffee_ , Daryl. And I don't trust Maggie to not open it and have a cup for herself before I can."

Daryl smirks again and they come to a stop at the chain-link, this end of the prison facing the woods. He think he's feeling more like himself every day now and maybe tomorrow, he'll head out and hunt some meat down. He feels like he hasn't been out hunting forever. Since spending nearly a week in Woodbury, recovering, before finally coming back here, Hershel, Rick and everyone else are still handling him and Beth with kiddie gloves. Hell, Anne's allowed more freedom than he feels like he gets right now.

But he, begrudgingly, admits that all of the rest has helped. Their broken bones are healed, their bruises are nearly completely faded and what scars they have left over have settled more into their skin to not look as harsh and fresh as they had just a week ago.

"I had to get you somethin', Beth. You're… you're my girl."

He already said that to Merle, but not to Beth yet, and hearing him call her that now, Beth's smile is instant. Her happiness at him calling her that makes his stomach churn and his ears turn pink – but neither in a bad way. He reaches out and squeezes the hand of the arm not holding her coffee.

"Knew we were goin' for a walk so I hid it out here," he admits and then goes to the piles of bricks.

He can feel Beth watching him curiously as he pulls out the gift, the paper only slightly wrinkled, and Beth is practically beaming as Daryl carries it back to her.

"I saw 'em on a run a while ago, before... and I thought… I was thinkin' they could make you smile," he explains.

Beth just keeps smiling as she sets her coffee down at her feet and he watches, feeling nervous now, as she treats the paper carefully as she peels it back.

"Oh, Daryl," she smiles and then begins to laugh. "They're absolutely perfect. Now, _I_ can be wrapped up like a sushi roll," she beams and Daryl breathes; relieved that she remembers their random sushi conversation from what feels like forever ago.

Beth places it in his hands so she can lift and unfold the top. It's a pajama set, a pattern of sushi printed on it.

"Might be a lil' too big," Daryl says as she holds the top to her own chest. "And 's still too warm to wear 'em to bed, but I think you'll like 'em for when it gets cold."

"I _love_ them," Beth corrects him with that same sweet smile and Daryl finds himself smiling a little, too.

Beth steps onto her toes so she can press her lips to his and Daryl holds the pajama bottoms in one hand so he can lift his other to rest on her cheek, his thumb gently running over the faint scar she has there now.

Beth had been self-conscious of her scar at first and while in Woodbury, she had found makeup from some woman and wore that powder women wore so she could hide it; until Daryl and Maggie, both, told her not to hide it. She had no reason to hide it as if she was ashamed it. That scar does nothing except show how awesome she is; how tough and bad-ass and how, when it comes down to it, Beth Greene can save herself.

Their lips slowly separate. "Got you one more thing," Daryl tells her.

"This is ridiculous," Beth can't help, but laugh a little bit. "Everyone has gone completely overboard. I know turning eighteen is a big deal, but I feel like having _any_ birthday these days is a big deal."

"You're not just anyone, Beth," Daryl tells her simply and hands her the pajama bottoms to hold. "Close your eyes. I want you to be surprised again."

Beth sighs heavily, but does as he says and closes her eyes again. He waves a hand in front of her face to make sure that they're really closed and then he heads to the nearby shed where different building materials were kept – and still are, waiting for the prison family to use them for the fence and one thing or another.

He gets his second present for Beth and turns back towards her. She's tilting her head, trying to hear him, and he smiles a little, heading back to her.

"When me and Rick headed to Woodbury the other day, Martinez helped me with this," Daryl tells her.

Beth smiles at that, her eyes still closed. Despite Martinez's high-ranking position, right beneath the Governor in his armed guard, Martinez didn't seem too broken up about what happened to the man.

"He wasn't as good as he would have you believe," Martinez had said and that was all he said about it.

When Daryl had felt good enough to get out of bed, he and Martinez would smoke together and play cards. If Rick ever did decide to let a few more come over to the prison, Daryl would ask him if Martinez could be one of them. Martinez is the kind of guy you want in your corner for a fight.

"Alrigh'," Daryl says and then takes a deep breath. "Open."

Beth's eyes instantly snap open and when she sees what Daryl is holding, she completely freezes in place. She doesn't scream like she did with the coffee beans, but her mouth falls open and then a hand lifts to cover it. The puppy is squirming in the arm Daryl's easily holding him in; as if the guy knows that he belongs to Beth now and he wants her to hold him.

Beth stares at the puppy for the longest time and then lifts her wet eyes to look at Daryl. "You got me a dog."

Daryl feels his whole face flush now. "Yeah… I think it's a dog. Mutt more than anythin', but… Martinez showed 'em to me in the garage where they were and I picked one… thinkin' you might like one."

Beth is back to staring at the puppy, not saying anything. She then carefully sets her pajama set down on the ground along with the bag of coffee beans and she then lifts the dog from Daryl's arm into both of hers. The puppy stops squirming and gives Beth a lick on her ear, making her laugh; it light and perfect and feels warmer to Daryl's skin than the sun shining.

The puppy is fluffy and grey with a wagging tail and triangle ears back against his head. Definitely a mutt and chosen completely at random, but watching Beth hug and kiss the puppy's head, Daryl thinks he picked right.

"I love you."

For a second, Daryl thinks Beth is talking to the puppy, but then she lifts her head and looks to Daryl.

"I love you, Daryl Dixon. I've been wanting to say that to you for so long now and… I couldn't wait anymore."

Daryl stares at her and it's his turn to be frozen. He knows exactly what he wants to say to her, having wanted to say the same thing to her for a long time, now, too, but the words clump in his throat. He's never said those words to anyone – especially anyone like Beth – and he's realizing that he actually doesn't know how to say those words.

And Beth… it's no surprise to Daryl that Beth seems to know that already and not only does she know, but she seems to completely understand.

She smiles at him and lifting on her toes again, holding the puppy in one arm, her other hand slips to the back of her neck and she gives him a kiss. She begins to pull back, but before she can, Daryl draws her into another kiss. If he can't say those words – yet, because he damn well is going to work hard on being able to say them to her – the least he can do right now is kiss her so she knows.

"We have all the time in the world," she then whispers to him and he closes his eyes, resting his forehead down against hers, the puppy between them.

For the first time in a long time, Daryl finds himself believing it.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading!**


	24. Fast Forward

**A little shorter of a chapter to close this story out. This story began as a simple one-shot and I _never_ planned on making a full story out of it, but with this ending, I'm glad I decided to go for it. **

* * *

…

This time, it's completely different.

There are no alarms blaring. There are no walkers inside anywhere. And this time, they're in the medical room of the prison rather than on the floor of a boiler room.

The labor has been a long one. When Lori had given birth to Anne, it had all seemed to happen so fast, it had practically been a blur. This time though, after her water broke, there are still hours to go until she is dilated enough to even think to begin pushing.

At first, the others had been waiting in the hall outside the medical bay, but after being told they would be waiting a long time, slowly, they all went off about their jobs. Walking the fences, killing walkers through the chain-link, weeding and picking in their garden, seeing and tending to their animals, beginning preparations for dinner that night. Lori ushered Carl and Anne back to the library for the rest of their lessons; At three, Anne is beginning to learn her letters and numbers and Carl has discovered a love for writing and creating his own stories and Lori is more than happy to encourage her son's interest.

Every day, there is always something to do. The prison is massive for their family and there are still sections that they're going into and cleaning out, finding more things for them – or to make traders with Woodbury, but Rick still stands firm in his decision and they all stand with him. No one else will be allowed in this prison except their family. The work never ends – even with a baby coming – but today, they're all a little distracted in their work _because_ a baby is coming.

The only one who stays outside of the closed medical room door all day is Panzer, but that's because the dog goes wherever Beth goes and if he's not allowed to be physically inside the room with her, he'll be as close to her as he possibly can.

"Panzer?" Rick had smiled a little when Beth and Daryl returned to the common room and Beth showed everyone the puppy Daryl had gotten her for her birthday and she had decided on a name.

"Panzer," Beth smiled in return as everyone crowded around, the puppy being passed from one pair of arms into another so everyone could meet and hold him. "Daryl loves reading about World War Two and I started reading a book about it that I found in the library. Panzers were the biggest, baddest tanks around."

"Panzers tried to kill your grandpa," Hershel spoke up as he checked Panzer's ears.

"I know, but I think everyone hears a name like Panzer and immediately thinks of the German tank and how indestructible they were. It will be good for our security if we have our own Panzer around," Beth explained and it was such a silly name and an equally silly reason, but everyone was smiling, none arguing.

Hours later, the others begin returning to the hallway – because it's been _hours_ – and how long can a labor last? They can hear some things – Maggie screaming, Beth shouting over the screams for her to push, and they all stand there, holding their breaths for that _one_ sound they want to hear more than anything.

And just a few minutes later, they finally hear it. A baby starts to cry and they all exhale at the same time.

A few minutes after that, the door opens and Beth steps outside to join them, Panzer jumping on her legs at the sight of her. She is sweaty and obviously tired and she's wiping her hands on a towel.

"It's a boy," she tells them all.

"Maggie?" Axel is the one to ask.

"Is doing great," Beth smiles with a nod and they all exhale another breath and start smiling and hugging one another as if they've all just been through childbirth as well. "Glenn almost fainted a couple of times, but he's still with us, too," she adds.

"Whoo, boy!" Merle is the one to laugh. "You should not have told us that."

"Don't torture him too much," Rick says, but he's smiling, too, and then he bends down, picking up Anne into his arms so the girl will stop trying to pick Panzer up. She's still too little and Panzer is just heavy enough to make it hard for her to pick the dog up; that doesn't mean she stops trying though.

"Daddy's going to stay in there with them for a while, just to keep an eye on things," Beth says. "We'll be able to all visit and meet the baby in a little bit."

"Four for four," Lori smiles as she pulls Beth into her side for a hug.

"Let's give me a break for a while," Beth says, hugging Lori back. "Between you and the women in Woodbury, everyone just needs to stop having babies for a while."

"Well, that probably won't happen since these women know there's a good OB/GYN around," Lori replies.

Beth isn't sure how it happened. She delivered Anne, yes, but she had thought maybe she would want to focus on educating and being something of a teacher.

But then, her daddy caught a cold, which then Axel, Rick and Glenn all caught and Beth found herself being the one to seeing to them all. And after that, when he was feeling fine again, Hershel took her into the medical bay of the prison so they could take stock of their inventory before they went out into the woods where he began teaching her the different plants that could help for medicinal purposes as well.

"I am getting older, Bethy," Hershel told her.

Beth immediately shook her head. "You're fine, daddy."

"Today, I am. But one day, I might not be and you're the one who's going to need to know these things."

"Me?" Beth couldn't stop her eyes from widening.

Hershel smiled at her. "You."

So, Beth's medical education began. She and Hershel were in the medical bay just about every day, going over drugs in their supply, Hershel quizzing her on symptoms, and if they weren't there, Daryl would go and kill a walker and drag it back into the yard so they could cut it up and Beth would have her anatomy lessons.

"I don't know why daddy chose me," Beth confessed to Daryl as they sat in her cell one night after dinner.

They hadn't moved in together. She had her cell and he had hers and even though they spent as many seconds a day together that they could, they still slept apart. They were moving at a snail's pace together. They had kissed so many times now and one night, brave enough, Beth had taken her shirt and bra off and Daryl had kissed her bare breasts, but more than that, they hadn't done. Yet.

Beth knew it would happen between them. She didn't doubt that. She knew that in this new world, no one knew how long anyone had and they shouldn't be taking anything slow, but Beth liked that she and Daryl were moving so slow; and Daryl certainly wasn't pushing for something more. They were building towards it. They both knew it. But right now, they were building something so much stronger between them and when they did have sex together for the first time, Beth already knew it would be the most incredible experience either of them had ever had.

"Why wouldn't he choose you?" Daryl asked. "What you did in that boiler room showed it more than enough that you're the best choice to have this role."

Beth shook her head at that though. "With Anne and Lori, that was just luck. Anyone else in that boiler room would have been able to do the same thing."

Daryl slipped an arm around Beth's waist. "No one, but you, thinks that."

During a trade with Woodbury, Beth had gone with Daryl and Rick and during their talk, Andrea had mentioned that one of the women was pregnant and they only had a dentist in Woodbury; not a doctor.

"Beth can take a look at her," Rick volunteered and Beth's eyes immediately whipped over to look at the man, wondering why he would say such a thing.

But Beth had gone and examined the pregnant woman, Karen, with her husband, Tyreese, and four months later, Beth was in Woodbury to deliver their healthy baby. Another Woodbury baby came a few months after that and now, Beth has helped deliver her older sister's healthy baby boy.

Stepping away from Lori, Beth then goes to Daryl and he smiles, wrapping her up in his arms.

"Shower or sleep?" He asks.

"Shower, definitely, and then sushi pajamas and sleep," Beth answers and Daryl kisses her on the forehead.

As Beth takes a prolonged shower, Daryl goes to her cell and gets her a fresh pair of underwear, her sushi pajama set, a comb and a rubber band. When he gets back to the bathroom, he smirks when he sees Panzer curled on the tiled floor right outside of the stall Beth is showering in.

"Beth!" Daryl calls out over the running water. "Your stuff's here on the sink. You want somethin' to eat?"

Beth pokes her head out from the shower curtain. "Saltine crackers and jelly?" She asks. Daryl nods and turns to leave the bathroom again. "You're the best!" Beth calls out after him and Daryl just smiles to himself.

The others have returned to their jobs and in the kitchen, Carol is continuing on with preparations for dinner, Merle sitting on one of the counters, watching her. Daryl and Merle are brothers and they have one another's backs, but they don't have the relationship where they open up about their thoughts and feelings. When Daryl dared himself to ask Merle about Carol one day when they had been picking off walkers through the fence, Merle had just shrugged.

"That one's had enough assholes in her life," Merle said. "A woman deserves to blush every once in a while."

"Hi, Pookie," Carol smiles at him when she sees Daryl come into the kitchen and Merle gives him a grin at the nickname. "What does she need? We're having the rest of the deer for dinner and I'm making warm potato and green bean salad if she thinks she'll be awake."

"Thinks she just wants to pass out after her shower. She did want some crackers and jelly," Daryl said. "I got it," he quickly steps in when he sees Carol moving towards the shelves.

As he starts working on Beth's snack at one of the counters, Carol continues dinner prep and Merle keeps popping oyster crackers from a bag into his mouth.

"Did Beth say yet what Maggie and Glenn have named the baby?" Carol asks.

"Hope they didn' name him after Hershel," Merle adds. "He's a good man, but we can give the kid a better name than that."

Daryl just smirks and shakes his head to Carol. "She didn't say. 'm sure we'll all know soon enough. I know they've been talkin' 'bout namin' 'im George if they have a boy. Might 'ave gone with that."

Armed with a plate of saltine crackers smothered in grape jelly, Daryl leaves the kitchen, heading back towards their cell block. In the common room, Carl is sitting at one of the tables, a spiral notebook open in front of him and his pen moving across the lines. Oscar is standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes peering over Carl's shoulder.

"You're bringing Robb back?" Oscar asks. "They killed him pretty brutally. How are you gonna manage that?"

"They killed Catelyn, too, but she came back as Stoneheart in _A Storm of Swords_. And it's my story and I want to be able to bring Robb back," Carl turns to frown at the man behind him.

They were able to find Carl all five books of _A Song of Ice and Fire_ , he devouring all of them in a matter of weeks and then insisting the book club read them, too, he decided that since the series never was finished, he would take it upon himself to finish it.

"Why don't you bring back Ned?" Oscar wonders.

Carl sighs impatiently. "Ned's story is finished. Killing him sucked, but it was the right thing to do."

As Carl and Oscar continue to bicker about Carl's storyline, Daryl just smirks a little and heads towards the cells. Beth is sitting on the bed in hers, wearing her sushi pajamas and eating one of the Reese's Peanut Butter cups from the pack Daryl has left for her on her nightstand. Panzer sits with her, begging though knowing he won't be getting any.

"One of these days, I'm going to find your stash of these," Beth smiles at him as he sets her plate of crackers and jelly on her nightstand. She then scoots over so he can sit on the bed with her.

"Good luck. This prison is massive and I'm never tellin'," Daryl smiles back.

Saving the other peanut butter cup for later, Beth leans over Daryl so she can take the plate of crackers. Daryl leans back against her pillows, watching her as she eats, occasionally feeding a bit of a cracker to Panzer. When he got her the pajamas, he knew they would be too big, the arm sleeves having to be rolled up a few times to keep away from her hands and the collar slipping a bit to show off her pale shoulder. Her hair is damp, but she's dried it enough where it's not sopping and she's put it back into a braid.

He remembers coming into this cell for the first time, her just waking up from a nap, coming to give her Reese's Peanut Butter cups and he had stared at her as if he had never seen her before. And until that moment, he hadn't. Not really. She had been sitting on this bottom bunk, a completely new person to him; a completely new person he realized he couldn't wait to meet.

"You're staring," Beth breaks through his thoughts, turning her head to smile at him.

"Yeah," Daryl doesn't deny it.

Beth just smiles at him. "Will you take a nap with me?" She asks.

"Yeah, girl," Daryl doesn't hesitate. "Always."

Beth smiles again and leans in, giving him a kiss, Daryl tasting the faint saltiness and jelly on her lips. He takes the plate to set on the nightstand and they both shift, Daryl taking off his boots before they both slide under her goose down comforter. She lays on her side and Daryl curls his body behind hers. Panzer takes a spot at their feet, curling himself into a ball and promptly falling asleep.

Daryl holds Beth tight and close and Beth hums softly from her throat, nestling her body against his, both having noted a long time ago how perfectly their bodies seem to fit perfectly together despite the differences in sizes.

"I love you," Beth murmurs, already drifting off.

Daryl closes his eyes and dips his nose down, pressing it to the back of her neck. "I love you, too, Beth," he murmurs back to her, soft enough to where her – and only her – can ever hear.

And he can't see her face, but he can hear her smile. Beth always smiles when he says those words to her. Her always smiling makes it easier for him to say it to her.

"'m goin' on a quick run with Rick tomorrow. Wan' me to be on the lookout for anythin' special?" Daryl asks.

Beth doesn't answer right away and he thinks she might be completely asleep already, but then she shifts again in his arms.

"Just come home safe," she says quietly. "And when you get home… maybe it's time we take the top bunk down and make us a big bed."

Daryl is quiet, thinking that over. "Yeah… think that sounds good."

Again, he can't see her face, but he can hear her smile and he kisses the back of her neck as Beth settles further into his arms and Daryl holds her as he, himself, begins to drift off, their bodies completely relaxed as they lay together, neither, at this moment, feeling a worry in the world.

…

* * *

 **Thank you very much for reading and I hope you liked this final chapter. I know that there are a few questions of things I didn't address, but I kind of like having a few things hanging out there, letting everyone picture their own complete ending. I have an idea for my next story - either a long one-shot or a short multi-chaptered story - of Daryl, Beth and their kids in the _Fifty Four Days_ world. **

**Thank you again for reading and still wanting to read my stories!**


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